MS NOW (Opinion)
U.S. left / center-left (progressive opinion programming)
Background
MSNBC launched in 1996 as a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC, and NBC later became its sole owner. After the early 2000s it moved from general news toward opinion-driven programming. Its prime-time lineup, with hosts such as Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Jen Psaki, is widely seen as left-leaning and strongly critical of Republican politicians, including Donald Trump. Its daytime hours have carried more conventional news reporting. The channel is often paired with Fox News as a partisan counterpart on the other side of the spectrum. Comcast announced the spin-off of its cable networks into Versant in 2024. MSNBC rebranded as MS NOW ('My Source for News, Opinion and the World') on November 15, 2025, and Versant became independent on January 2, 2026. Critics on the right say it is partisan. Some on the left have criticized its corporate ownership and its decisions about hosts and programming. In October 2026, reports said the network would air paid Trump administration ads, which surprised some staff and drew criticism, including from some of its own hosts. MS NOW has said its business and editorial operations are separate.
Sources
- MS NOW - Wikipedia
- MSNBC officially rebrands to MS Now: What to know (WTNH)
- Who Owns MSNBC? Versant and the Comcast Spin-Off (LegalClarity)
- Trump Administration To Buy Ads On MS NOW (Forbes)
- 'Just Despicable': MS NOW and CNN Air Trump's Illegal Taxpayer-Funded Ads (Common Dreams)
Profile compiled 2026-10-26; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.