MSNBC will change its name later this year as part of Versant’s separation from NBCUniversal, according to CNBC. The political news network will drop the peacock logo and rebrand as My Source News Opinion World, or MS Now. Versant CEO Mark Lazarus said the move is meant to distinguish MSNBC from NBC News. MSNBC is creating its own newsroom independent from NBC News by hiring about 100 new staff. Around 40 journalists from outlets such as CNN, Bloomberg, and Politico have already joined to launch its first Washington, D.C., bureau. Versant will remove the peacock logo across all its brands, with USA Network and Golf Channel uniting under USA Sports, and GolfNow and SportsEngine also rebranding. MSNBC is the second-most-watched cable news network, drawing an average of 1.2 million prime-time viewers this year.
