Overview
- Versant will become an independent, Nasdaq‑listed company following the distribution of shares after the Jan. 2 market close, with regular trading set for Jan. 5 under ticker VSNT and when‑issued trading expected to start around Dec. 15 as VSNTV.
- Comcast shareholders of record on Dec. 16 will receive one Versant share for every 25 Comcast shares, with fractional Versant shares settled in cash.
- Leadership named at investor day includes CEO Mark Lazarus, CFO/COO Anand Kini and chairman David Novak, overseeing assets such as CNBC, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), USA, E!, Oxygen, Golf Channel, Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, while Bravo remains with NBCUniversal.
- Versant announced a standalone MS NOW direct‑to‑consumer product targeted for summer 2026 and plans to expand Fandango into free, ad‑supported streaming and FAST distribution, plus a CNBC partnership to incorporate Kalshi prediction data.
- The company disclosed 2025 targets of $6.6 billion in revenue, $2.2 billion in EBITDA and $1.4 billion in free cash flow, and said it acquired Free TV Networks—reaching more than 20 million OTA households—and Indy Cinema Group to bolster Fandango’s cinema technology.