MSNBC will be renamed as My Source News Opinion World – or MS NOW, for short – as it prepares to split from parent company NBCUniversal.

The new title was announced to staffers at the progressive opinion network Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

MS NOW will first appear on screens in its new stylized form later this year.

According to an internal memo from CEO Mark Lazarus that was reviewed by Daily Mail, the change highlights the new company’s dedication to establishing its own unique identity and vision for the future, while providing a basis for the ongoing advancement and success of its operations.

This change will also result in the iconic peacock logo, traditionally linked to NBCUniversal, being retired, as the executive team has determined that the logo will remain with NBC.

Lazarus, who leads the newly separated company known as Versant, assured employees that despite the name change, the brand’s dedication to its audience will stay the same.

Longtime MSNBC host Joy Reid was ousted from the network this year. Rachel Maddow seems poised to stay the network’s top star.

However, in move was part of a broader programming overhaul brought by new MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler, Jen Psaki was recently installed as Maddow’s successor in the 9pm timeslot.

Rachel Maddow, pictured, whose network MSNBC will soon be renamed MS NOW  

MS NOW will first appear on screens in its new stylized form later this year. Its new, Peacock-less logo is seen here

Kutler had words for her workers as well, in a company-wide memo also obtained by Daily Mail.

It appeared to hint at a fight to keep MSNBC’s old name while offering insight as to why ‘NOW’ came to be part of the new name, as it has with some streaming ventures

‘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,’ Kutler – who along with Lazarus pulled the plug on Reid – wrote. 

‘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,’ she continued.

‘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.’

The new branding will debut as the network enters its 30th year.

MSNBC’s two top execs fired Joy Reid in February, reportedly after more than a year of pushback from its parent Comcast

New boss Rebecca Kutler and Versant CEO Mark Lazarus, the two execs who pulled the plug on Reid

It was met with ridicule from onlookers online, after Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough broke the news live on-air.

This is not a joke. They really did this,’ remarked Yahoo Sports writer Kendall Baker on X.

‘New Name. Same Crazy,’ joked conservative journalist Christian Toto.

Another user claimed the new name – My Source News Opinion World –  ‘sounds like someone yelling at [him] on Twitter. 

‘Msbs has a better ring to it ngl,’ another sniped.  

Lazarus, meanwhile, detailed more changes to other logos and brands in the cable-centered spinoff company’s portfolio as well.

He said sports programming from its USA Network and Golf Channel will be combined ‘under a new brand moniker’ being called USA Sports. 

‘New logos for USA Sports and Golf Channel are well underway,’ he said.

CNBC, he revealed, ‘will retain its name and is working on a new logo.’

The finished product will ‘look back at its history and nod to the deep expertise of the network,’ he said.

MSNBC launched as an internet-focused venture between Microsoft and NBC in the mid-90s, and has since established itself as an opinion network with a lineup of liberal hosts. Pictured, on-air talents Joe Scarborough and Symone Sanders-Townsend on Morning Joe last week

Maddow continues to host on Mondays while Jen Psaki – a former Biden aide – broadcasts Tuesday through Friday 

‘Each of these changes will go into effect closer to our spin at the end of the year.’ 

Other assets in Versant’s largely linear arsenal include the GolfNow, SyFy, Oxygen, E! and SportsEngine.

MSNBC launched as an internet-focused venture between Microsoft and NBC in the mid-90s.

It has since established itself as an option for liberal audiences, with hosts like Scarborough, Nicolle Wallace, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Chris Hayes.

Execs are hoping the spinoff will transform what is widely viewed as a declining asset into the flagship of a growing startup, while also bringing in more money from other sources such as streaming.

‘We have the ability to transcend this linear cable box,’ Kutler – the leader of programming for the failed CNN+ – told Politico earlier this summer.

‘We have the ability to build things.’

And while Psaki appears to be part of those plans, she got off to rocky start last spring, losing roughly half the slot’s audience within weeks of stepping in for Maddow last May.

The Versant spin off is expected to take place between late 2025 and early 2026. A exact date has not yen been announced

Maddow – who was reportedly handed a $5million paycut from Lazarus as one of his first moves as boss late last year – averaged 1.89million viewers throughout 2025 in the hours. Psaki, with her ‘Briefing Room’, is averaging barely 1million.

 Maddow, meanwhile, remains a ratings draw, but she has an audience is older and there have been rumblings of discontent inside MSNBC , Puck recently reported. 

She is also making a reported $25million a year.

She currently hosts The Rachel Maddow Show on Mondays following a to five days a week for the first hundred days of Trump’s presidency.

 She also serves as the network’s ‘special event’ co-anchor.

The Versant spin off is expected to take place between late 2025 and early 2026. AN exact date has not yet been announced.