MS NBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Transition to Versant Company
Starting Saturday, MS NBC will officially adopt the new name MS NOW, which stands for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. The 'MS' letters are retained from the original Microsoft partnership. This rebranding is part of a strategic move by NBCUniversal as MSNBC and other networks transition into a newly formed company called Versant.
To promote the change, a $20 million national advertising campaign has been launched, featuring two 60-second election-night spots that end with the tagline "MS NOW. Same Mission. New name." In addition to the rename, MS NOW is relocating its operations from its previous location at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York to a Times Square office building that formerly housed the New York Times.
The network has also built a new in-house Washington, DC news-gathering operation led by Scott Matthews, established after the departure of NBC News correspondents. The performance of this new team during election night was regarded by executives and hosts as a success, demonstrating competitiveness with rival networks.
Personnel shifts accompanied the rebranding, including Steve Kornacki moving to NBC News, Ali Velshi assuming Kornacki's previous MSNBC role, and Jacob Soboroff returning to MS NOW from NBC News. MS NOW identifies its audience as aging, with a median age around 72, and aims to expand its reach on digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, while continuing to serve its traditional TV viewership.
Staff reactions to the rename have been mixed. Mika Brzezinski expressed support for the change, Joy Reid raised questions about the branding adjustments, and Jen Psaki acknowledged initial difficulties with the new branding but emphasized the importance of viewer loyalty to individual hosts.
