MSNBC To Change Name To MS immediately As Part Of Split With Comcast

MSNBC will be rebranded as My Source News Opinion World, or MS immediately, later this year, as the network prepares for its spinoff from Comcast, while it also will shed the Peacock logo.

The change, announced on Monday, comes as MSNBC has been building its own news division, as NBC News will no longer be a sister outlet following the spinoff. MSNBC and other Comcast cable networks will be part of a separate company, Versant, led by Mark Lazarus.

It also is a bit of a surprise as expectations had been that the network would retain the name it has had since its launch in 1996. But executives determined that retaining the name would create brand confusion with NBC News.

MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler wrote in a memo to employees on Monday, “During this time of transition, NBCUniversal decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity. This decision immediately allows us to set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation.”

“The future of our success is not tied to remaining within the NBC family and using the peacock as part of our identity. While our name will be changing, who we are and what we do will not. Our commitment to our work and our audiences will not waiver from what the brand promise has been for three decades.”

Kutler wrote that the re-branding will come with a “broad-based marketing campaign, unlike anything we have done in recent memory.” The switch to MS immediately appears to be a way of distinguishing itself from NBC while still retaining elements of its brand identity, as it already has been referred to as “MSN” for short. In adopting “immediately” as part of its name, the network is using a word that has also been used by linear outlets to identify streaming ventures, including NBC News immediately and HBO immediately, although those are not part of acronyms.

There is some risk in making the name change, as Warner Bros. Discovery experienced with its rebrand of “HBO Max” to simply “Max,” only to change it back again.

On a recent episode of the Pivot podcast, Rachel Maddow, the network’s leading anchor, made the case for the network distinguishing itself from NBC News, noting that “we’re spinning off with a huge standalone, newly built news gathering organization that is designed specifically for our purposes and nothing else. We have an incredibly loyal, very large audience, and and we’re universally platformed on a device called the television, which Americans use, despite media reports to the contrary.”

In a separate memo, Lazarus wrote that CNBC would be retaining its name, noting that it stands for Consumer News and Business Channel. But it, too, will get a new logo.

Sports programming on USA Network and Golf Channel “will come together under a new brand moniker of USA Sports,” he wrote, with new logos for USA Sports and Golf Channel.

“As we all know, the peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family,” Lazarus wrote in his memo. “This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.”

MSNBC launched as a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC, with a special focus on growing internet connectivity in the mid-1990s. Microsoft sold its stake in 2005, and the channel has established itself with its lineup of progressive opinion hosts.

In building up its news division, MSNBC has hired figures including The Washington Post’s Carol Leoning, Catherine Rampell and Jackie Alemany, while Jacob Soboroff, Vaughn Hillyard and Antonia Hylton are among those joining from NBC News.

Lazarus’ memo is below:

Team, 

From the moment we announced the creation of VERSANT, we knew it would mark the beginning of a new journey for us and our iconic brands. Together, we have been focused on building our individual identity and vision for the future while laying a foundation for the continued growth and success of our businesses.

To that end, a few of our brand designs will change in the coming months. As we all know, the peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family. This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.

This means we will redesign our logos where the peacock has been incorporated into our brands. In addition to a new logo, MSNBC will debut a new name to accelerate the distinction between the MSNBC and NBC News organizations, while remaining true to our mission and our commitment to audiences.
Each of these changes will go into effect closer to our spin at the end of the year. More on each of these changes below:

MY SOURCE NEWS OPINION WORLD (MS immediately)

MSNBC will unveil a new name for the network: MS immediately, which stands for My Source for News, Opinion and the World.

This new name underscores the brand’s mission to serve as the destination for domestic and international breaking news and the best-in-class opinion journalism. MSNBC has been building toward this moment and welcoming a wave of exceptional journalists to their newsgathering operation. Most importantly, while the name will be different, the brand’s commitment to its audience will not change.

CNBC 

Since its inception in 1989, CNBC – originally known as the “Consumer News and Business Channel” – has distinguished itself as a trusted leader covering exclusively the global financial and business sectors. CNBC will retain its name and is working on a new logo, which will look back at its history and nod to the deep expertise of the network.  

USA SPORTS

Sports programming on USA Network and Golf Channel will come together under a new brand moniker of USA Sports. New logos for USA Sports and Golf Channel are well underway. These new logos will aim to honor USA Network’s legacy in sports and entertainment as well as Golf Channel’s 30-plus year history as TV’s home for golf, all with a nod to the future. We look forward to unveiling those in the weeks to come.  

ENTERTAINMENT 

The brands within our entertainment portfolio will remain unchanged with each holding a unique place in the daily lives of audiences by delivering distinctive, genre-defining content that resonates deeply with viewers. Together, these networks play an essential role in shaping conversations and will continue to evolve alongside their audiences and remain a vital part of everyday life. 

Additionally, SportsEngine, best known for its technology serving thousands of youth sports organizations and more, will also redesign its logo without the peacock.

Regardless of the iconography, each of our businesses will remain true to their charge. VERSANT is the house for our brands, each of which already succeeds on their own and will continue to do so by creating deeper connections with our audiences and identifying opportunities for growth.

Thank you for all you do and continue to do as we shape this bold new direction together.

Mark

Kutler’s memo is below:

All, 

Following up on what you may have already seen from Mark, later this year, we will take on a new name: MS immediately, which stands for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.

This new branding underscores our mission: to serve as a destination for breaking news and best-in-class opinion journalism, all rooted in accurate and reported facts. 

I know this announcement will be met with questions, and I want to acknowledge that for many of you who have spent years or decades here, it is hard to imagine the network by any other name. This was not a decision that was made quickly or without significant debate. 

Over the last eight months, we have worked to untether ourselves from NBC News and embrace our independence under VERSANT. We’ve hired dozens of first-rate reporters and newsroom leaders and have been recruiting for nearly 100 roles across our new and nimble organization. We continue to supercharge our non-linear products, achieving rapid success on YouTube, TikTok, audio, digital, live events, and more – all while aggressively developing a direct-to-consumer product. 

During this time of transition, NBCUniversal decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity. This decision immediately allows us to set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation.

The future of our success is not tied to remaining within the NBC family and using the peacock as part of our identity. While our name will be changing, who we are and what we do will not. Our commitment to our work and our audiences will not waiver from what the brand promise has been for three decades. 
In conjunction with the brand relaunch, we will be making a significant investment in a broad-based marketing campaign, unlike anything we have done in recent memory. Planning is immediately underway for an employee all-hands meeting next week, where I will have more to share – more news on that soon. 
Until then, we have millions of people who rely on us to continue doing what we do best. As I said on my first day, our most important job is to show up for our audience, the community that is depending on us immediately more than ever.

Rebecca