MS NOW tweaks insert graphics a handful of months after original debut

MS NOW has rolled out some tweaks to its insert graphics, expanding the width of the primary banner while trimming a bit from either side of the bar along the bottom of the screen.

The updates began rolling out over the weekend of May 9, 2026.

The changes were largely confined to two primary updates: Removing pixels from either side of the banner on the bottom of the screen, which served as the home to the time and live bug, program branding and logo bug; and updating how story banners and identifiers are laid out.

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As part of these most recent updates, MS NOW appears to have stopped using the animated logo bug that rotated between words meant to represent the backronymed name “My Source for News, Opinion and the World,” which the network announced as part of its original branding.

The bar element as a whole lost some pixels in the update and now features negative space on either side, though that margin is small.

Originally, the network had the option to use centered banners that occupied about two-thirds of the screen and the floating identifier tiers that debuted with the package debuted in November 2025.

The network could also insert floating boxed text above these banners to identify someone appearing on-screen, as shown with correspondent Jake Traylor above in a November 2025 screenshot.

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Instead, there are now two layouts used during most programming — one where the main banner runs almost the entire width of the screen, aligning with the updated bar below it.

There is then a layout that is very similar to one the original package had — where the main banner remains about two-thirds wide with the rest of the width used to promote MS NOW’s various digital products, programming and other offerings.

Like the other version, the total width of both zones remains the same as the bar underneath.

When the network needs an additional space to label a story as “Breaking News,” an additional tier can be added directly above the left side of the main banner, creating the visual of a tab of sorts.

Previously, these elements would encroach on the banner below a bit, as shown in the November 2025 screenshot above, creating some empty space toward the middle of the screen when a label was added.

MS NOW retained the option to put identifiers in float boxes, but these moved farther to the right side of the screen, becoming ragged-right while still respecting the imaginary line running up from the far left of the banner and bar below.

Overall, the updates streamline the on-air look by making the widths of more on-screen elements consistent. 

It also removes the somewhat awkward centered bars that always felt a bit like they were trying to stay cautiously within the now largely irrelevant 4:3 safe area. 

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Keeping the floating identifier was perhaps the most interesting choice in the update. While it’s not the first time something like this has been used in TV news, it’s still a largely unconventional approach that has the advantage of letting headline banners remain on screen.

Moving these to the far left adds additional consistency within the updated graphics. In many instances, it also moves the text away from the center of the screen, where people (especially talking heads) tend to be. This has the potential downside of making it farther away from the person it’s naming but also moving it into a more neutral part of the screen, particularly with how many live hits and interview shots tend to be framed.

Removing the animated bug also helps reduce visual noise on the screen while ensuring the MS NOW brand, which has gained remarkably fast recognition among many viewers, remains on-screen during most programming. It also represents a slight shift away from the awkward backronym and places the emphasis on the letters “MS NOW.”

It’s understandable why MS NOW originally created the animated bug as it strove to get viewers familiar with its new name while adding some assurances the content remained largely unchanged.

The new name was announced ahead of Comcast’s spinoff of the network formerly known as MSNBC (along with most of its other linear cable properties) into Versant Media. That change also means MSNBC no longer shares newsgathering resources with NBC News.