MSNBC to rebrand as MS NOW after split from NBC

MSNBC is getting a new name. The network, known for its liberal-leaning lineup with Rachel Maddow, Ari Melber, and Nicolle Wallace, announced Monday it will soon become My Source News Opinion World — or MS NOW.

The rebrand follows MSNBC’s corporate separation from NBC, which also means the famous peacock will disappear from its logo later this year.

The decision came after NBC Universal spun off several of its cable networks, including CNBC, USA, Oxygen, and E! Entertainment, into a new company called Versant. At first, Versant’s leadership suggested MSNBC would keep its name — so Monday’s news marks a surprising change of course.

MSNBC launched back in 1996 as a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC. The name was confusing even then, but it stuck, long after Microsoft walked away.

Network president Rebecca Kutler admitted the change wasn’t easy. In a note to staff, she called it a “decision not made quickly or without debate,” but one that gives the network a chance to “assert our independence and set our own course.”

Kutler stressed that the editorial direction won’t shift with the new name.

For talent like Maddow, the shift could even be a positive. She noted the network will now be able to rely on its own reporters instead of depending on what was left over from NBC News.

Still, not everyone is changing: CNBC is keeping its “NBC” branding, since it has always maintained more separation and focuses on business news rather than politics.

The rebrand comes with a fresh logo too, host Joe Scarborough unveiled it live on air, joking that it looks “very sporty.”