MSNBC has announced it will change its name to MS Now as it prepares to split from NBC later this year, a rebrand that has already attracted mockery online and become the latest example of the hazards of corporate renaming.
The new name, which stands for My Source News Opinion World, will be adopted after the cable news channel becomes part of Versant, a spin-off from Comcast. It will join CNBC, Golf Channel, GolfNow and SportsEngine, while CNBC keeps its existing name. In a statement, MSNBC said the name "underscores our mission: to serve as your destination for breaking news and thoughtful analysis."
The announcement prompted ridicule on social media, with one Reddit user comparing it to a Microsoft Office product and another suggesting it sounded like a demand to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Marketing experts noted that such changes require extensive work, with Americus Reed of the Wharton School saying consumers would be "shocked" at the effort involved, including months of deliberation over fonts and colours.
The rebrand follows a series of poorly received name changes, including Tropicana's 2009 packaging redesign, which caused sales to drop 20% before being reversed, and more recent examples such as Facebook's switch to Meta, Twitter's adoption of X, and the UK fund manager Standard Life Aberdeen's brief change to "abrdn". Sadie Dyer of branding agency Siegel+Gale said finding a legally available and trademarkable name is "not to be underestimated".
MSNBC faced an especially difficult task because the NBC peacock logo is one of the most iconic in American media. "You can't compete with the peacock logo," said Dyer. She added that people are naturally resistant to change: "You're asking people to change their behaviour and the name that they call you. That's really tough."
