MSNBC is rebranding to MS NOW, but Microsoft’s influence lingers. A look at the history of Microsoft’s role, and how the “MS” lives on.

Morning Joe hosts claim they love it. Everyone else says it sounds like a multiple sclerosis charity with MS Paint branding.

MSNBC is dropping the “NBC” from its name as it splits from NBC News. • The cable network will rebrand later this year as MS NOW — short for My Source

Cable news channel MSNBC is going to rebrand as My Source News Opinion World, or MS NOW, according to a new report from the New York Times. The change is happening because Comcast’s NBCUniversal is spinning off many of its cable TV assets into a new company called Versant, severing ties with the “NBC” part of MSNBC.

MSNBC’s rebrand to MS Now is smarter than the snark: keeps the “MS,” dodges Trump-era heat, and avoids a Quibi-style flop. Credit where it’s due.

The change marks the end of a partnership that began in 1996, with the network joining CNBC and other channels under the new VERSANT umbrella.

As the cable news channel MSNBC splits up with NBC News, it is also dropping the NBC from its name. Later this year, the channel will become MS NOW, which stands for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.

Making sense of MS Now, the corporate-mandated rebrand for the cable TV outlet that made its name as a left-leaning stalwart.