The station has shed the colorful symbol after nearly 30 years.
On Saturday, December 13, global business news channel CNBC officially adopted a brand new logo, which appears to be a nod to its first logo when it launched back in 1989.
The main difference from the network’s first logo and the new one, however, is the the addition of a slanted blue triangle on top of the N. That shape, in the past two years, had been prominent as it was constantly seen as an effect on program title cards.
But if there was one noticeable element missing from the 2025 rebrand, viewers would immediately be able to point it out and tell the answer: the iconic NBC peacock.
While it was not part of CNBC’s branding when it launched over 36 years ago, the insignia, which it borrowed from its (now former) corporate parent NBC, was on the air for 29 years—debuting in 1996.
More than the aesthetics of it, the decision of the peacock was a reflection of a business move in itself.
VERSANT-NBC UNIVERSAL SPLIT
In late 2024, Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, decided to spin off its linear cable channels (with the exception of Bravo) onto a whole new entity called Versant.
Under the new corporate parent, CNBC continues to be a sister channel with the likes of E!, Syfy, and MS NOW—which did not only drop the peacock, but also its previous name, MSNBC, after 29 years due to the corporate shake-up.
In contrast to MSNBC, though, the CNBC name was said to have been allowed to carry on given its name standing for the Consumer News and Business Channel, while the former simply referred to the partnership between Microsoft and NBC in the ’90s.
Elsewhere in Versant, however, the peacock remains to be present in the Golf Channel, which is also going to have a similar rebrand in the future.
Despite the shake-up, Versant and NBCUniversal will continue to work closely, as among other things, the USA Network (another channel jetted off to the new entity) will be broadcasting the 2026 Winter Olympics under a sub-licensing agreement.
The transaction concerning the spin-off, meanwhile, is expected to be completed in early 2026.