The long-rumored split between NBC and MSNBC is no longer speculation. By the end of 2025, the two networks that once shared newsrooms, resources, and even anchors will officially go their separate ways under Comcast’s restructuring plan.
What was once a seamless marriage of broadcast prestige and cable opinion is now unraveling into a corporate divorce — complete with custody battles over talent, brand identities, and real estate.
Comcast made its intentions clear last year when it announced the creation of Versant, a standalone company to house MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Oxygen, SYFY, E!, and other cable channels.
NBCUniversal, meanwhile, will retain NBC News, NBC News Now, Telemundo, and Bravo, keeping the Peacock brand firmly in its corner. That division has now been fleshed out in detail, and the implications are far-reaching.
The most striking change: MSNBC will shed both its name and its iconic peacock. Beginning next year, the network will rebrand as MS NOW, short for “My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.” Out goes the rainbow bird, in comes a red, white, and blue striped flag logo — a not-so-subtle attempt to emphasize patriotism while keeping the focus on commentary and personality-driven programming. CNBC, by contrast, will keep its brand intact.
The split also carries geographic consequences. Rockefeller Center, NBC’s historic headquarters, remains with the broadcast network. MSNBC — soon MS NOW — will pack up its Midtown digs and relocate temporarily to 43rd Street, with new permanent space yet to be announced. In Washington, D.C., it will leave NBC’s Capitol-adjacent bureau to establish its own newsroom.
Talent, naturally, is the messiest part of the divorce. NBC has already secured some of the biggest names. Steve Kornacki, long synonymous with MSNBC’s election coverage, will remain with NBC News. Andrea Mitchell, who ended her daily cable show earlier this year, stays as NBC’s chief Washington and foreign affairs correspondent. José Díaz-Balart has also officially shifted back full-time to NBC and Telemundo.
MS NOW, however, is hardly being left empty-handed. Veteran NBC reporters Ken Dilanian, Ryan Reilly, Jacob Soboroff, Vaughn Hillyard, and Brandy Zadrozny will join the new network’s roster, bolstering its journalism bench as it navigates independence.
And the current MSNBC lineup — from Morning Joe to The 11th Hour — will remain intact through the rebrand. Willie Geist, in a rare dual arrangement, will continue straddling both sides, anchoring for NBC on weekends while co-hosting Morning Joe under the MS NOW banner.
The result is a split-screen future: NBC doubling down on straight news reporting, while MS NOW leans fully into its opinionated identity.
