India, Aug. 18 -- The cable news network MSNBC is eliminating the NBC from its name as it part ways with NBC News. As part of Versant's impending split from Comcast's NBCUniversal, MSNBC will alter its name and remove the iconic peacock image from its branding later this year.

The station will change its name to MS NOW, which stands for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.

The developments comes months after Versant Chief Executive Officer Mark Lazarus informed a group of MSNBC employees in January that the network would not be changing its name. However, NBCUniversal executives opted to rename MSNBC "to accelerate the distinction between the MSNBC and NBC News organizations" during the last several months of transition planning,...