MSNBC to Rebrand as MS NOW Starting November 15, 2025
MSNBC will officially be renamed MS NOW starting November 15, 2025, ending nearly 30 years under the MSNBC brand. The new acronym MS NOW stands for "My Source for News, Opinion, and the World," with "MS" reflecting the original Microsoft partnership.
NBCUniversal has split MSNBC from NBC News to create a new company called Versant and relocated the network from 30 Rockefeller Center to an office building in Times Square. As part of the rebranding, MS NOW emphasizes patriotic, trustworthy news and analysis as its central message.
A $20 million national advertising campaign launched on election night, November 4, featuring two 60-second spots concluding with "MS NOW. Same Mission. New name." The network also built a new Washington, DC, bureau from scratch, led by Scott Matthews, and hired veterans from outlets like the Washington Post. Notable staffing changes include Steve Kornacki moving to NBC News, Ali Velshi filling in for election coverage, and Jacob Soboroff returning to MS NOW.
Election night results indicated MSNBC approaching Fox News in prime-time ratings and surpassing CNN, despite Kornacki's departure. The network's audience skews older, with a median age around 72, prompting MS NOW to expand its presence on platforms like YouTube and TikTok to broaden reach and enhance monetization.
Reactions among hosts and personnel were mixed: Mika Brzezinski endorsed the name change, Joy Reid expressed skepticism, and Jen Psaki initially viewed it as a branding headache but acknowledged that viewers focus more on the hosts themselves.
