Overview

• MSNBC will relinquish the NBC name and peacock logo to adopt MS NOW—short for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World—as part of its spin-out into the publicly traded company Versant.
• Versant CEO Mark Lazarus said NBCUniversal opted to retain the peacock branding, requiring networks including MS NOW and CNBC to establish distinct identities.
• MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler assured employees that the rebrand will not affect the channel’s editorial direction as it builds a separate newsroom staffed by dozens of recent hires.
• CNBC will retain its name but will debut a new logo without the peacock, and other Versant channels such as USA Network and the Golf Channel will also receive redesigned branding.
• The announcement has prompted mixed reactions, with some media figures praising MS NOW’s independence and others mocking the new name and logo ahead of a planned national marketing campaign.