Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

MS Now

U.S. left / center-left (progressive opinion-driven cable news)

Owned byVersant Media Group, a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: VSNT) that Comcast spun off on January 2, 2026. Comcast kept no ownership stake. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts holds about one-third of Versant's voting power through Class B shares.
FundingCable and satellite carriage fees paid by distributors, plus advertising. Versant is funded by its own cash flows and public shareholders.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

MSNBC launched in 1996 as a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC, and Microsoft later exited. NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast since 2011, ran the channel for years. Over the 2000s it shifted from a mixed lineup to a prime-time schedule of progressive opinion hosts, which was a clear contrast with Fox News on the right. Its daytime programming has stayed more traditional news, and the channel has drawn criticism from conservatives for bias and from some on the left over individual hosts and decisions. In 2025 the channel was renamed MS NOW (short for 'MSNBC Now'), as part of its separation from NBC News. Comcast completed the spin-off of its cable networks, including MS NOW, CNBC and USA Network, into Versant on January 2, 2026. Versant trades on Nasdaq under VSNT. In September 2026 President Trump announced a ban on MS NOW, CNN and Politico from White House coverage, citing what he called 'fiction and lies'. Secret Service officers blocked MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner and others and seized their press passes, and the three outlets sued the administration over the ban.

Sources

  1. After Comcast Completes Versant Spin-Off, Shares of Cable Networks Company Slide (Variety)
  2. Versant (Wikipedia)
  3. MS NOW (Wikipedia)
  4. Trump says he's banning MS NOW, CNN and Politico from White House (CNBC)
  5. MS NOW, CNN and Politico journalists blocked from White House after Trump ban (CNBC)
  6. CNN, Politico and MS NOW sue the Trump administration over ban on White House coverage (NBC News)

Profile compiled 2026-10-11; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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