Business
Versant to rename MSNBC, drop famed peacock logos in Comcast separation
The brand logo for My Source News Opinion World
Courtesy of Versant
MSNBC will change its name later this year and drop the storied peacock image from its branding — the first real public-facing changes in Versant’s upcoming separation from Comcast’s NBCUniversal.
The political news network will be renamed My Source News Opinion World, or MS Now, Versant Chief Executive Officer Mark Lazarus wrote in an internal memo to employees that was seen by CNBC.
In January, Lazarus told a group of MSNBC staffers that the network wouldn’t change its name. But during the past few months of transition planning, NBCUniversal leaders decided MSNBC should take on a new name “to accelerate the distinction between the MSNBC and NBC News organizations,” Lazarus wrote in the memo Monday.
MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler added in her own note to employees that the news group’s focus won’t change.
“While our name will be changing, who we are and what we do will not. Our commitment to our work and our audiences will not waiver from what the brand promise has been for three decades,” she wrote.
MSNBC has been undergoing aggressive hiring for about 100 new positions to stand up its own newsroom independent from NBC News. The network has already hired about 40 journalists from CNN, Bloomberg, Politico and other news organizations to establish its first-ever Washington, D.C., bureau.
“During this time of transition, NBCUniversal decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity,” Kutler wrote. “This decision now allows us to set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation.”
While MSNBC and NBC News will have duplications in coverage, such as covering politics, CNBC’s news organization is already separate enough from NBC News that executives decided it didn’t need a name change, according to people familiar with the matter. Also, technically, the “NBC” in “CNBC” never stemmed from National Broadcasting Co. Rather, CNBC stands for “Consumer News and Business Channel.”
Still, CNBC will likewise be getting a new logo without the famed NBCUniversal peacock. This will be true for all of Versant’s brands that have a peacock in the logo. Sports content on the USA Network and Golf Channel will be branded together under USA Sports. Digital companies GolfNow and SportsEngine will also change their logos.
The MSNBC name change and the new logos will all be introduced before the end of the year, when Versant plans to spin out as a publicly traded company.
MSNBC will soon kick off a national marketing campaign to accompany the launch of the new name, “unlike anything we have done in recent memory,” Kutler noted in her memo Monday.
MSNBC is the second-most watched cable news network, averaging 1.2 million prime-time viewers year to date. The network has 28 on-air anchors, 21 correspondents and reporters, and provides more than 120 hours of live programming each week.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC under the proposed spinoff.
Business
Pine Labs, Groww & more: Top stocks to watch on April 16 – The Times of India
Citigroup initiated its coverage of Pine Labs with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 235. Analysts said that India’s payments fintech is on a monetization improvement trajectory, with leading players increasingly entrenched in respective core areas of leadership. While product, services and distribution build-outs into comprehensive plays will continue across the fintech ecosystem, large players don’t face significant disruption risks owing to: Across-the-board profitability push; rising regulatory costs and compliance requirements; and stickiness borne out of integration into enterprise business workflows. Further, while consumer payments have seen flux in competitive positioning in the past decade, there have been relatively fewer changes in positioning and leadership within segments in merchant payments.BoFA Securities has initiated its coverage of Groww (Billionbrains Garage Ventures) with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 235. Analysts said Groww is well positioned to capitalize on India’s retail investing tailwinds and they expect compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for revenue at 30% over FY26-FY28. The company produces best-in-class profitability with further upside from operating leverage. Analysts have valued Groww at 39x FY28E price-to-earnings. They, however, said that the near-term risks for the stock are a weak capital market performance and the expiry of the six-month lock-in of shares post-IPO.Elara Capital initiated its coverage of Jindal Saw with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 280. Analysts said earnings recovery is expected over FY27–FY28, driven by water, and oil & gas demand. The company’s order book is at an all-time high, indicating strong visibility. They also feel Jal Jeevan Mission spending revival to drive domestic pipe demand, while the global pipeline capex is supported by energy security concerns. Analysts also pointed out that exports are rising, with diversification reducing dependence on domestic capex. The company’s capacity expansion to support margins and operating leverage. They feel the stock’s valuations are attractive, with rerating potential driven by execution and growth.Jefferies has downgraded Indus Towers to underperform from buy with a target price cut to Rs 375 from Rs 530. Analysts downgrade the stock due to site-renewal risks bunched up over second half of 2026 (H2CY26) and first half of 2027 (H1CY27) which could impact revenues and growth. Elevated capex levels due to higher growth and maintenance capex which will impact earnings growth as well free cash flow and payouts. They cut Indus Towers’ revenue and profit after tax (PAT) estimates by 2-6% to factor renewal risks post which stock offers 3% EPS growth and a 4% yield. They said risks on growth outlook should weigh on re-rating potential too.Kotak Institutional Equities has a buy on Ujjivan SFB with a target price of Rs 72. Analysts said that the RBI has returned Ujjivan SFB’s application for a universal bank license, citing need for further loan portfolio diversification. While the outcome is clearly not favourable, the regulator has flagged no concerns relating to governance, compliance or operational soundness. Analysts said their investment thesis did not factor in any benefit from a potential transition to a universal bank. Hence, they maintained a buy but remained watchful of any sharp changes in asset mix strategy in response to RBI’s feedback.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
Business
China’s hits economic growth target despite Iran war disruption
The better-than-expected GDP data comes as Asian countries have been hit hard by the impact of the conflict.
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Business
Geelong fire: Blaze at Australian oil refinery to impact petrol supplies
The fire has deepened fears over the nation’s petrol supplies amid a global crunch.
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