Versant Has Officially Split From Comcast and NBC – Here’s What It Means

Versant is now officially a publicly traded media company after completing its long-planned spin-off from Comcast, a move that now separates a portfolio of cable and news networks from the media conglomerate.

The split took effect at 11:59 p.m. ET on January 2 and Versant shares began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol VSNT on Monday morning after the distribution to Comcast shareholders after markets closed on Thursday.

Under the terms of the transaction, Comcast investors received one share of Versant Class A or Class B common stock for every 25 shares of Comcast stock held at the close of business on December 16, 2025. The separation was approved by Comcast’s board late last year.

“Today marks a defining moment as Versant becomes an independent, publicly traded media company,” Versant chief executive Mark Lazarus said in a statement. “As a standalone company, we enter the market with the scale, strategy and leadership to grow and evolve our business model.”

Following the spin-off, Comcast retains control of its major entertainment and international assets, including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock and Sky. Those businesses will continue to operate within Comcast’s core structure.

Versant now assumes ownership of a collection of cable and news brands, including CNBC, the newly renamed MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), USA Network, SYFY, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, and Rotten Tomatoes. The company also controls several entertainment and lifestyle channels previously housed within Comcast’s cable division.

The separation was first proposed in late 2024 as traditional cable television faced mounting pressure from declining subscriptions and shifting advertising markets.

Comcast’s move reflects a broader industry trend toward separating streaming and studio operations from legacy cable networks.

Warner Bros Discovery is currently pursuing a similar strategy, spinning off its cable channels into a separate entity while retaining its film studio, premium television and streaming assets. That new Discovery Global unit will operate independently from any potential acquisition by Netflix.