MSNBC is officially changing its name to MS Now, and the internet reacted as you’d expect: with memes and conspiracy theories

Television networks and streaming services change their names all the time, but people are surprised that MSNBC is getting a new title.

Why is MSNBC changing its name?

According to the announcement, the name change is happening due to a move to a new media company called VERSANT. MS NOW will no longer be a part of NBCUniversal and NBCNews. Instead, they will be under the same umbrella as CNBC, Golf Channel, GolfNow, and SportsEngine.

MS NOW claims to be growing and has recently added new journalists to their slate. “At a time when so many newsrooms are shrinking, we’re investing in more reporting, more coverage, and more ways to serve you,” the announcement explained.

The internet reacts to MSNBC’s name change

Unsurprisingly, people have a wide range of thoughts about this news. People have taken to social media to share their feelings and make some clever jokes about MS NOW. With name changes becoming increasingly common, some people just aren’t having it.

“MSNBC to changing their name to MS NOW is like HBO changing their name to MAX and Facebook changing to Meta and Twitter to X,” one person wrote. “I will never call it the new name.”

Meanwhile, others are making jokes about what MS NOW sounds like, and they’re not wrong.

“People with multiple sclerosis seeing MSNBC’s new logo,” another person captioned a post with a Homelander gif.

“NEWS: MSNBC is renaming itself MS NOW (Martin Scorsese ‘n’ Olivia Wilde),” someone joked. Now that’s a network we’d watch!

People reflect on MSNBC’s history and politics

One observer pointed out how much worse this rebranding is compared to choices made by NBC in the past.

“To be fair, the whole point was to depart from NBC,” one commenter argued. “I just wish they were doing it tastefully,” the OP replied.

Originally, the name MSNBC came from a collaboration between NBC News and Microsoft. “Do people remember that the MS in MSNBC used to stand for ‘Microsoft’?” one poster wondered.

MSNBC has typically leaned liberal in the past, so it’s no surprise MAGA supporters are calling for the network to end permanently. “Forget the name change. Just shut it down,” one “proud American” proclaimed.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some folks believe this change is a result of MSNBC kowtowing to the current administration. This is likely due to the word “opinion” being in the title. “Opinions” and “news” aren’t exactly the same thing. It’s understandable why some might think MS NOW won’t be a trusted news source like MSNBC once was.

“MSNBC is complying in advance. They rather go full fascist in a bid to stay relevant than stay true to any consistent values regarding journalistic integrity. It’s not shocking, but it is noteworthy,” one writer declared.

However, some people believe the shift makes sense given the current climate. “I’m seeing a lot of negative responses to the #MSNBC rebrand. I think it’s an accurate description of what the network has become as opinion shows dominate its air. Very few of the hosts are journalists or reporters by education or experience. Most were op/ed columnists,” another person shared.