Companies, political movements, and organizations often refresh their brands to help stay fresh and relevant. Other times, they do it out of necessity, a desperate attempt to shed baggage. Some companies have pulled off stunningly successful rebrands, and others have been a disaster.
MSNBC is on the verge of a rebrand, and I can tell you right now that it’s gonna be a disaster. The far-left network will soon call itself “MS NOW.”
Yes, you read that right. “MS NOW.”
The acronym stands for “My Source for News Opinion and the World.” You almost have to admire the lack of self-awareness it takes to embrace something so clunky, pretentious, and mockable. But they’re serious.
MSNBC will be renaming itself to this. And this isn’t a joke. pic.twitter.com/3TRxvrIXlA
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) August 18, 2025
This wasn’t some April Fool’s Day press release that got out early; Mark Lazarus, the newly minted CEO of Versant, the company that’s taking on NBCUniversal’s cable spin-offs, confirmed the switch in a staff memo.
MSNBC had planned to keep its name, but NBCU recently decided to retain its famous Peacock design and markings and not share them, requiring Versant to make changes to some of its networks that use those insignia and the NBC logo, Lazarus said. “As we all know, the peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family,” he said. “This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.”
The rebranding isn’t just about the NBCU split. Versant is rolling USA Network and Golf Channel into USA Sports, complete with redesigned logos, while CNBC keeps its name. If CNBC can keep “NBC” why can’t MSNBC? It’s obvious, isn’t it? The brand has become so toxic that NBC no longer wants to be associated with it. In other words, MSNBC has officially become a liability.
And MS NOW will have to compete with NBC.
“MSNBC will be forced to drop its reliance on the NBC News newsgathering apparatus, and has been hiring its own staff of journalists under chief Rebecca Kutler,” reports Variety.
“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 explained in the memo. “The future of our success is not tied to remaining within the NBC family and using the peacock as part of our identity.”
But the new branding is already facing mockery on social media.
The reaction to MS NOW shows that rebranding can’t mask failure. Social media users are merciless, mocking the clunky new name and questioning whether the network can survive without the NBC peacock. This isn’t a fresh start; it’s a desperate attempt to convince viewers that the same tired MSNBC is suddenly something new. And in the end, no amount of rebranding will change the fact that MSNBC has become a liability, and MS NOW looks like nothing more than a cautionary tale in corporate desperation.
They can slap a new label on it, but MS NOW can’t hide what it is: a flailing brand running from its own baggage. PJ Media exposes what the mainstream won’t—and this rebrand proves why that matters. Join PJ Media VIP — use code FIGHT — for 60% off. Enjoy exclusive content, ad-free browsing, and comments. Don’t wait, join today.
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