MSNBC brutally trolled after network announces MS NOW rebrand: 'Must Shutdown No One Watching'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: MSNBC is facing an uproar after unveiling a new name, MS NOW, as part of its corporate spinoff from NBCUniversal.

The announcement, which breaks from MSNBC’s long-standing NBC identity and its iconic peacock logo, drew swift criticism online, with many calling it one of the most ill-advised rebrands in recent media history.

Viewers mock MS NOW rebrand as branding disaster

The network says the new name stands for “My Source News Opinion World,” but detractors quickly offered their own, less flattering interpretations. On social media, users joked it could mean “Majorly Skewed News Overly Woke,” “Most Surely No One Watching,” or even “BS NOW.”

Conservative activist Robby Starbuck quipped, “I just want to meet the absolute bandit who got MSNBC execs to fork over tons of $$$ for this logo and a name that reminds you of multiple sclerosis.”

A former media executive, quoted by The New York Post, didn’t hold back either. “I don’t know what’s worse, Versant or My Source News Opinion World. Whoever came up with these names deserves to be shown the door,” they said. 

The rebranding comes as parent company Comcast spins off MSNBC into a new publicly traded company called Versant, valued at around $7 billion. The move strips MSNBC of its NBCUniversal ties.

This is despite earlier comments from incoming Versant CEO Mark Lazarus, who assured staffers that MSNBC’s name and branding would remain intact. One network insider told The Post, “It doesn’t set a great precedent for management to change the name after promising staffers it wouldn’t.” 

Internet react to MSNBC's MS NOW rebrand

Critics are piling on MSNBC’s MS NOW rebrand, with many mocking the name, logo, and overall direction of the channel.

One quipped, “MS Now or Never watch it,” and another said, “Good one. Change the name… how about change the format from being a woke joke to real reporting.”

A person remarked, “Horrendous branding. From the name, logo to tagline. I get they’re trying to distance from MSNBC, but this won’t do it,” whereas someone else bluntly said, "Logo and tagline are pretty bad"

Others compared it to a bad software upgrade, with one quipping it felt like “a new Microsoft product, MS Vista all over again.” Another jabbed, “Will there be an MR Now? Or just old angry feminists?”

Many argued the rebrand signals desperation, with one saying, “The second you change your name and brand, you know you’re done.” 

One more quipped, "Must Shutdown No One Watching."

The new logo, a stylized red-and-white striped flag on a blue background, was panned as dated and uninspired. Some critics compared it to branding from the late 1990s, joking that it looked like it belonged on "a discount desktop computer from 1998."

MS NOW rebrand faces web domain hurdle

Adding to the embarrassment, msnow.com currently redirects to a Korean-language website about motorized snow vehicles, while ms-now.com points to Martha Stewart’s Marley Spoon meal-delivery service. MSNBC has not announced which domain it plans to use.

MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler defended the decision in a staff memo, writing, “During this time of transition, it has become clear that our brands need separation, and NBCUniversal decided to retain ‘NBC’ and the peacock.” She promised a “massive marketing campaign unlike anything we have done in recent memory” to support the launch and “assert the network’s independence.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.