CBSN is changing its name to something very familiar

CBS will phase out the “CBSN” branding for the news streaming service. 

CBSN launched in 2014, making it the first streaming offering from a mainstream network news division. At the time, CBS said the “N” was meant to stand for “news.”

Initially, it offered a single national stream but would slowly roll out regional versions in most major markets where CBS owns a local station — with CBSN New York launching in 2018 and the latest, CBSN Baltimore, rolling out Aug. 23, 2021.

As part of the announcement, CBS says that CBSN will take on the broader CBS News name, in a move that’s clearly meant to unite all of the division’s offerings under a single banner.

“As a unified organization, we’ll offer a choreography of coverage across all of our platforms, that includes unparalleled, expansive on-the-ground reporting from New York to L.A., Chicago to Dallas, London to Beijing and everywhere in between,” said Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and the CBS Television Stations.

Given that the CBSN name will be phased out, this also means the network’s longtime use of the serif Didot for both its overall and news logotypes will effectively end.

CBS deconstructs its ‘eye’ for updated branding strategy

The CBS broadcast network and CBS News both switched to TT Norms, a sans serif typeface, as part of a 2020 rebranding. 

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The local versions will also drop the “N” from their names with redesigned localized logos.

Meanwhile, plans call for CBS’s streaming team to take over Studio 57, the former home of “CBS This Morning,” which moved to Times Square Sept. 7, 2021 and became “CBS Mornings.”

CBS to update former ‘This Morning’ studio for streaming broadcasts

Previously anchored CBSN programming originated from a variety of locations, including the former “This Morning” newsroom and space formerly known as Studio 47, which is now the primary CBS newsroom. 

The CBSN name change has the potential to remove confusion for users looking for a separate CBSN streaming app as well as send the message that streaming is very much becoming mainstream — pun intended. 

This will also allow anchors to encourage viewers to simply switch to the CBS News app for continuing coverage, as is common at the end of many of the network’s newscasts and local news programming on its owned stations. 

ABC and NBC also offer national streaming news services, but do not have localized versions to the extent and format that CBSN does. 

ABC’s is called “ABC News Live,” with the moniker “ABCNL” popping up as well. NBC picked “NBC News Now” for its streaming service name after originally announcing it would be called “NBC News Signal.” NBC News also provides content on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, under its  “The Choice” and “Today All Day” channels.

NBC produces local digital content under its Lx brand while ABC uses its Localish network, but these services haven’t yet expanded into an “always on” local news service like CBSN’s local iterations do.