MSNBC’s name is being replaced, but its leaders insist that its mission will remain the same

MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW, Embraces Independence in Shifting Media Landscape

As MSNBC prepares to break away from NBC News this weekend, network president Rebecca Kutler points to a simple message displayed in their new Times Square-adjacent offices: “Same Mission. New Name.”

“Our job in the next few weeks is to flood the zone and make sure viewers know the thing that they love will be the exact same thing on November 15,” Kutler explained.

This Saturday marks the official transition of MSNBC to MS NOW—standing for My Source for News, Opinion and the World. The rebrand represents the most visible aspect of parent company Comcast’s strategic decision to spin off most of its cable networks into a new entity called Versant.

The corporate separation reflects broader industry trends, as traditional cable television networks are increasingly viewed as diminishing assets in today’s digital-first media ecosystem. For many media conglomerates, divesting these properties has become a financial imperative.

“A lot of us really didn’t know what it meant,” admitted prime-time host and former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, “and it didn’t feel great initially.”

Now operating independently, MS NOW is embracing what executives describe as startup energy. The network believes it can better experiment without the constraints of NBC News’s corporate structure. New initiatives are already underway, including a newsletter from flagship morning program “Morning Joe,” expanded podcast development, and more live events featuring network personalities engaging directly with audiences. Later this month, Rachel Maddow will host such an event in Chicago.

“I didn’t see this as a divorce,” nighttime host Michael Steele explained. “I see this as the kid growing up and leaving home. We all know what that’s like.”

The network’s core identity—news and commentary with a progressive perspective—remains intact, as does its lineup of prominent hosts including Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, and Ari Melber. MS NOW has assembled its own reporting and support staff and is moving into new headquarters in Manhattan, ironically occupying the former longtime home of The New York Times.

This relocation ends an unusual geographical quirk: MSNBC and its conservative counterpart Fox News Channel will no longer be situated across Sixth Avenue from each other.

To bolster its reporting capabilities, MS NOW has recruited approximately three dozen journalists, including Washington Post veterans Jackie Alemany and Carol Leonnig. The network has also established partnerships with Sky News for international coverage and AccuWeather for meteorological reporting.

Media executive Kate O’Brian, who previously worked at ABC, sees advantages in the separation: “Being divorced from NBC News gives it the opportunity to make deals on its own to supplement its cable existence.” She notes that MS NOW’s established identity and core audience of viewers opposed to former President Donald Trump provides a solid foundation.

“They’re lean, nimble and niche, putting them in a better position to adapt to any emergent platforms,” O’Brian added.

The transition comes during a challenging viewership period. MS NOW’s prime-time weekday average of 1.17 million viewers this year represents a 29% decline from 2024—a drop largely attributed to its audience’s disappointment with the presidential election results. By contrast, Fox News Channel, popular among Trump supporters, has seen a 14% increase to 3.11 million viewers.

Nevertheless, MS NOW maintains approximately twice the audience of CNN, which experienced an identical 29% viewership decline over the first nine months of 2025. The network also performed strongly on election night, competing closely with Fox despite the absence of popular data analyst Steve Kornacki, who opted to remain with NBC News.

The network’s independent approach has attracted talent like reporter Jacob Soboroff, who chose MS NOW over staying with NBC News, and Rosa Flores, who is joining from CNN. Flores cited the opportunity to expand beyond her previous immigration beat as a key factor in her decision.

“All the legacy news organizations are trying to make their way,” Flores said. “I felt like being part of a news organization that was building solutions from the ground up was so unique that I wanted to be a part of it.”

Soboroff emphasized that MS NOW’s political identity wasn’t a concern for him. “It’s about the people for me, always, it’s not about the politics,” he explained. “I feel like I do what I’ve always done, which is report the facts on the ground, turn them around to our audience and let the audience make up their own minds.”

The company is investing approximately $20 million in marketing to publicize the name change, including billboards in high-traffic areas like Times Square, the Grove in Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.’s South Capitol Digital Experience Wall.

On the “Morning Joe” set, a simple mug with MSNBC crossed out and replaced by MS NOW serves as a more modest symbol of the transition. Co-host Mika Brzezinski recently cleared out her Rockefeller Center office, reflecting on past collaborations: “We’re going to miss some reporters, and they’re going to miss us.”

Her co-host and husband, Joe Scarborough, expressed confidence in the changing media environment: “If this were five years ago, I would have been, ‘Oh, my God, how are we going to do this?’ Everything is so fluid now.”