NBCU picks up peacock after Versant spinoff flies through

After Comcast sent feathers flying with rebranding efforts at Golf Channel, CNBC and MS NOW, the NBC peacock has come home again to roost as part of the NBCUniversal corporate logo.

The move comes after Comcast spun off select NBCU linear cable and select digital brands to Versant on Jan. 5, 2026.

Comcast completes Versant spinoff with IPO

The updated logo retains the distinctive NBCU wordmark that dates back to 2011 when Comcast acquired the company from Vivendi.

That wordmark was created using the custom font known as NBCU Rock Serif, which itself has similarities to the publicly-available Elan, and was originally set in a blue-violet hue.

The “Rock” name refers to 30 Rockefeller Center, the longtime home of NBC, often called “Rock Center” or “30 Rock.” The name also happens to serve as a nod to the strong, slab-like serif in the font.

What’s new is the addition of the NBC Peacock icon, which now features a glass-shine effect that matches the one used in the updated Comcast logo introduced in 2024.

Current Comcast logo with shiny version of the NBC peacock, introduced in January 2024.

The peacock was part of NBCU’s logo from 2004 to 2011.

NBCUniversal logo from 2004 to 2011.

During that period, the famous icon served as a sort of separator between the words “NBC” and “Universal” in the company’s corporate logo. 

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This logo used a copperplate typeface along with the silhouette of a globe, both elements borrowed from the Universal logo, which became well known to many because it ran before Universal Studios film productions.

NBCUniversal logo from 2011-2014.

However, when the company made the shift to Rock Serif in 2011, the peacock was dropped from the official look. 

It would reappear as part of the Comcast corporate identity in 2013.

Comcast logo from 2013 to 2024.

This version included an all-caps rendition of “Comcast” in a clean geometric sans serif with most characters having at least one squared-off corner to contract with the rounded look used on others.

Comcast updated this logo in January 2024 to a new, stronger typeface while also adding shine to the peacock.

With the change, NBCU appears to be reasserting itself, at least visually, as the owner of NBC.

The move comes after three networks: Golf Channel, CNBC and MSNBC, all dropped the NBC peacock from their logos in 2024 in preparation for the Versant spinoff, with MSNBC also changing its name to MS NOW. NBCU has given CNBC a limited time window to continue using the “NBC” part of its name.

Sticking with Rock Serif, meanwhile, obviously allows NBCU to keep a connection to its old look and also makes the transition easier, since older versions of the company’s logo won’t stand out as much as if there were a complete update.

NBCU also owns two additional bespoke fonts, NBCU Display and NBCU Text, which, like Rock Serif, draw heavily on the basic letter shapes of Futura, which had been used — with some customizations – when NBC Tinker became the font of choice (which is based off Sweet Sans Pro). The network updated the look in 2022, a move that included moving to a bolder version of Tinker, along with a redrawn peacock icon (the peacock has had other subtle changes since 1986 as well).

Tinker later proliferated to both MSNBC and CNBC in 2023, but was dropped as part of the networks’ 2025 rebrandings.

Tinker will remain the typeface of choice for the NBC television network, while NBCUniversal, as a corporate entity, will leverage the other three custom fonts.

The “NBCUniversal” name (sometimes with the space and sometimes without) dates back to 2004 when Vivendi, which owned Universal Studios, sold an 80% stake in itself to NBC’s then-parent GE. 

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GE was later separated into three separate companies, including the aviation-focused unit that still bears the legal name “General Electric Company,” and Comcast bought NBCU in 2011.

Under the new corporate structure introduced in 2026, Comcast remains the owner of both NBCUniversal and Versant.