MSNBC will change its name later this year to MS Now (My Source News Opinion World) and drop the peacock image from its branding. These are the first significant public-facing changes in Versant's upcoming separation from Comcast's NBCUniversal.

The change, announced on Monday, comes as MSNBC has been building its own news division, as NBC News will no longer be a sister outlet following the spinoff. MSNBC and other Comcast cable networks will be part of a separate company, Versant, led by Mark Lazarus.

Cable news network MSNBC will change its name and drop the iconic peacock logo as parent Comcast presses ahead with the planned separation of many NBCUniversal cable networks later this year.

Political news network MSNBC will rebrand to MS NOW as Comcast’s NBCUniversal prepares to spin off several media brands into a new company called Versant,

Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger react to MSNBC announcing new name, "MS NOW."

As NBCUniversal spins off its cable holdings, MSNBC is rebranding without the rainbow Peacock. When MSNBC spins off from NBCUniversal (NBCU) by the end of the year to become an independent company, it will have a new name and logo.