On November 15, MSNBC rebrands to MS NOW amid a 34% viewership plunge this year—steeper than CNN's 21% drop and in stark contrast to Fox News's 18% surge—as dispirited liberals tune out during President Trump's second term, prompting a patriotic ad blitz to retain loyalists.
The network, turning 30 next year and now fully severed from NBC News (requiring dozens of new journalists for an independent newsroom), unveiled the name change last week with a Sibling Rivalry-crafted campaign emphasizing constitutional rights, hope, and continuity under the slogan “Same Mission. New Name.”
A flagship 60-second spot features Rachel Maddow—reduced to one hour weekly—reading the Constitution's preamble over swelling strings, intercutting modern protesters, historic suffragists, and anchors like Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski (timed to “ensure domestic tranquillity”), ending with the abstracted American-flag MS NOW logo.
Another ad overlays Maya Angelou's 1996 U.N. poem on diverse Americana, closing with “We the People.” A third in development stars Martin Sheen as revered “West Wing” President Jed Bartlet.
Network president Rebecca Kutler called the ads evocative of “hope, community, unity,” assuring viewers that hosts, shows, and time slots remain unchanged—only the name shifts. Executives say most audiences were unaware of the rebrand until recent informational spots.
Despite prime-time viewership still doubling CNN's and loyal fans averaging eight hours weekly, the channel faces internal friction from past NBC ties and a post-election liberal exodus.