News network MSNBC to rebrand

The name change follows a decision from MSNBC’s parent company, Comcast, which saw the US media and telco giant spin off the bulk of NBCUniversal’s cable assets into a new publicly traded company called Versant in 2024. 

MSNBC is now being spun off alongside cable networks such as CNBC, USA, Oxygen and E!. However, NBC, Bravo and the Peacock streaming service will stay under the NBCUniversal umbrella. 

Launched in 1996, the left-leaning MSNBC stands for Microsoft and National Broadcasting Company, a name formed through its previous partnership with Microsoft. MSNBC’s name change is designed to distance itself from news service NBC News, which will remain part of NBCUniversal. CNBC will keep its name, which originally stood for Consumer News and Business Channel.  

As MSNBC will be forced to drop its reliance on the NBC News newsgathering operation, it has been hiring its own staff of journalists under chief Rebecca Kutler. These changes were detailed in a memo to staff by Mark Lazarus, who will run Versant as its founding CEO. 

“During this time of transition, NBCUniversal decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity. This decision now allows us to set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation,” Kutler said in a memo, reported by Variety.  

Comcast recently unveiled the leadership team for SpinCo as it prepares to spin off its cable television portfolio later in 2025. Discover more here.