Comcast’s Versant Media Officially Launches as a Separate Public Company
UPDATED: Versant Media’s launch out of the Comcast/NBCUniversal nest is official — and at least initially, Wall Street is not bullish on the cable TV network-centric spin-off company.
Comcast announced the completion of its previously announced separation of Versant into a separate public company, effective as of 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. Versant began trading Monday (Jan. 5) on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol “VSNT.”
In early trading Monday, shares of Versant fell more than 14%. After opening at $45.17/share, Versant’s stock had fallen below $40/share after the market opened. Shares of Comcast were up 1.3% as of 9:45 a.m.
New York-based Versant’s TV networks and digital businesses are CNBC, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, Syfy, Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass and SportsEngine.
Comcast sees the Versant spin-off as helping drive up the value for its NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks and Peacock streaming service — as those NBCU assets will no longer be tied to the cable networks, which have seen their ad dollars and audience decline. NBCU will keep Bravo, which has programming popular on Peacock.
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts retains about one-third voting control in Versant through his ownership of Class B shares, similar to his stake in Comcast.
Under the terms of the spin-off, Comcast shareholders received one share of Versant Class A common stock or Versant Class B common stock for every 25 shares of Comcast Class A common stock or Comcast Class B common stock, respectively, held at the close of business on the record date of Dec. 16, 2025. The distribution of Versant shares occurred after the close of trading on Nasdaq on Jan. 2, 2026.
“Today marks a defining moment as Versant becomes an independent, publicly traded media company,” CEO Mark Lazarus (pictured above), formerly chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, said in a statement. “As a stand-alone company, we enter the market with the scale, strategy and leadership to grow and evolve our business model.”
Versant COO and CFO Anand Kini added, “This milestone reflects the financial strength and readiness of Versant as a stand-alone public company. With a strong balance sheet, substantial cash flow, and clear capital allocation framework, we are well positioned to execute with discipline to drive long-term value.”
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and PJT Partners served as financial advisers to Comcast, and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP served as legal counsel.
