In short, the same family that controls Comcast still has the biggest single say over MS NOW, but the network now sits in a separate company with its own board, its own CEO and its own stock.
Who owns MS NOW today?
| Owner | What they hold | Voting power | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Versant Media Group | 100% of MS NOW | - | Versant 10-K |
| Brian L. Roberts | 377,745 Class B shares, 100% of the class | 33 1/3%, non-dilutable | 2026 proxy |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 15,292,572 Class A shares, 10.8% of the class | About 7% of total votes | 2026 proxy |
| Other public shareholders | The rest of about 143.8 million Class A shares | The rest | Versant 10-K |
Sources: Versant 2026 proxy statement, holdings as reported for early 2026 with percentages based on shares outstanding on April 14, 2026; Versant 10-K share counts as of February 20, 2026. BlackRock's share of total votes is my estimate from its 10.8% of the Class A vote, which carries two-thirds of the total.
Each Class B share carries 15 votes and each Class A share 0.08031 votes, a split built so that Class B always holds one third of the votes. Roberts's Class B shares are held through a limited liability company he manages. It is the same structure he has at Comcast, where his Class B stock also carries 33 1/3% of the votes.
Is MS NOW owned by Comcast?
Not anymore. Comcast distributed 100% of Versant to its own shareholders, one Versant share for every 25 Comcast shares held on the December 16, 2025 record date. The separation took effect on January 2, 2026, and Versant began trading on January 5. NBC News and NBC's broadcast network stayed with Comcast's NBCUniversal.
Why did MSNBC change its name to MS NOW?
Because the brand had to leave the NBC family. Versant announced the rebrand in August 2025 as part of the separation, and it took effect in November 2025. Versant's 10-K lists the rebrand as a business risk, since a new name can confuse viewers and advertisers. CNBC kept its name.
What else does Versant own?
| Business | Type |
|---|---|
| MS NOW | Cable news |
| CNBC | Business news |
| USA Network and USA Sports | Entertainment and sports |
| Golf Channel, E!, Syfy, Oxygen | Cable networks |
| Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes | Movie ticketing and reviews |
| GolfNow | Golf tee-time booking |
| Free TV Networks | Over-the-air and free streaming channels, bought January 2026 |
Source: Versant 10-K for 2025.
How big is Versant?
| Measure | Figure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $6.688 billion, down 5.3% | 2025 |
| Advertising revenue | $1.577 billion, down 8.9% | 2025 |
| Revenue outside pay TV | 19% of revenue | 2025 |
| Employees | About 4,400 | December 31, 2025 |
| MS NOW reach | About 59 million U.S. households | December 31, 2025 |
Source: Versant 10-K for 2025, with household reach from Nielsen as cited there. Versant does not report MS NOW's revenue on its own.
Who runs MS NOW?
Mark Lazarus is CEO of Versant and David Novak is its chairman. Rebecca Kutler runs the network itself as president, a job she took on an interim basis after Rashida Jones resigned in January 2025 and was given permanently in February 2025.
| Network leader | Years | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Griffin | 2008 to 2020 | Ran the network for 12 years |
| Rashida Jones | 2021 to January 2025 | First Black woman to run a major cable news network |
| Rebecca Kutler | 2025 to now | Led the move to MS NOW and Versant |
Source: Wikipedia, citing network announcements.
Every MS NOW owner
- 1996
NBC and Microsoft launch MSNBC on July 15 as a 50/50 joint venture
- 2004
GE's NBC merges with Vivendi Universal to form NBCUniversal
- 2005
NBCUniversal buys another 32% of the channel from Microsoft
- 2007
NBC buys Microsoft's last 18% of the TV channel
- 2011
Comcast takes 51% control of NBCUniversal from GE
- 2012
Microsoft sells its stake in the MSNBC.com website to NBCUniversal
- 2013
Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCUniversal
- 2025
MSNBC becomes MS NOW on November 15
- 2026
Comcast spins off Versant, and MS NOW with it, on January 2
How I checked this
The ownership table comes from Versant's 2026 proxy statement and 10-K, both filed with the SEC. The spin-off terms come from Versant's own announcement and trade coverage. The older history comes from Wikipedia's sourced account of the network and of NBCUniversal. Versant does not break out MS NOW's results, so this page gives figures for the whole company.
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Observations retain their source, period and definition. Uncertainty is preserved; missing values are not zero.
- Versant Media Group 2026 proxy statement (DEF 14A, SEC) ↗
sec.gov · 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Versant Media Group annual report for 2025 (Form 10-K, SEC) ↗
sec.gov · 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Versant begins trading on Nasdaq today as an independent company (Versant investor relations) ↗
Versant investor relations · 2026-01-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Comcast completes spin-out of cable networks into Versant (The Desk) ↗
The Desk
- Comcast Corporation 2026 proxy statement (DEF 14A, SEC) ↗
sec.gov · 2026-04-24T00:00:00.000Z
- MS NOW (Wikipedia, citing network and press history) ↗
Wikipedia
Accessed 2026-11-02.
- NBCUniversal (Wikipedia) ↗
Wikipedia
Accessed 2026-11-02.