As we are moving into October, it means that the cable news channel MSNBC is set to go through monumental changes. These arrive as a result of Comcast-Universal spinning off its cable channels into a separate entity, called Versant. The first sign of trouble is that we see a cable entity (Comcast) divesting from its cable base. That speaks volumes.
As a result, MSNBC is in the process of more than a rebranding; the network is undergoing a fundamental makeover. But this is not one with an eye towards “new & improved”; it is one being foisted upon them by this severing of ties. What we are looking at is essentially on par with parents who have made the stand to have their indigent child forced out to learn to live on their own.
First on the slate was the new name. MSNBC announced last month it was going to be rebranded as “MS NOW,” which is said to be the acronym for “My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.” But what is taking place here is far more than an entity striking out in a new direction. NBC News is cutting off all connections with the cable outlet.
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This summer, the word went out to shared staffers that they had to decide which entity they wished to remain with after the split. As an example, main statistician Steve Kornacki chose to go with the broadcast network (where he has worked on the sports side as well), as D.C. intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian opted to go with MS NOW. Also forced on the new entity was last month's decree that they needed to vacate the NBC Broadcast studios.
This is not the only decoupling we're witnessing. As of a week from now, all news connections between the two sides will be cut as well, meaning that content from the NBC News division will no longer be made available. This is an actual editorial divorce. D.C. correspondents for MSNBC/MS NOW will need to be established (Vaughn Hillyard from NBC News will be in the senior role), and the digital side will not be provided with news content from the former parent company.
Also scheduled for later in the month is when all other shared resources in the nation’s capital are no longer available. By October 20, MSNBC will need to have an infrastructure in place and operating with its own Washington bureau. This is like NBC News changing the locks, effectively declaring its former stepchild is on its own.
As a sign of just how far this break reaches, MSNBC has had to strike a new arrangement with a separate news source. Beginning Wednesday, October 1, MSNBC will be using news content provided by Sky News. This will concern mostly, at least at first, international news items. This is less of a partnership but more of a syndication arrangement borne out of need. It's a notably one-sided deal, where Sky will serve as something of a news syndicate for MSNBC.
Sky News did note MSNBC and MS NOW will have no role in deciding what Sky News covers, but rather pull from content conceived and developed by Sky, including live broadcasts, news packages and digital journalism, according to the announcement. No MSNBC programming is expected to show up on Sky News.
The final move towards complete independence from NBC has yet to be determined, but should take place sometime by the new year. That is when Versant will be completely separated from Comcast-Universal, and the news channel will need to drop its use of the peacock logo and all other affiliations associated with NBC News.
This should prove to be a challenge for MSNBC, as it has been withering in the ratings throughout the year. Besides Rachel Maddow, no one else is drawing significant eyeballs, and they have lost more than half of their audience since 2024. Even the stalwart early show, “Morning Joe,” is suffering, as it struggles to earn half a million viewers, and it, along with much of the schedule, has fallen below the lowly CNN in many time slots.
Losing its branding and some of its named talent will exacerbate this slide further. 2026 is shaping up to be a dismal time for the network.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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