Mark Lazarus

Stories

Comcast locks the ledger: Versant spinoff record date sets up a new public home for CNBC, MS NOW, and USA

Leading Versant as an independent public company; facing immediate market skepticism and pressure to prove the 'build beyond cable' strategy

The divorce is final. Comcast completed the pro rata distribution of Versant Media Group shares on January 2, 2026; on January 5, the new company began regular-way trading on Nasdaq under ticker VSNT.

Updated May 15

Notable Quotes

“As we embark on this journey to build a one-of-a-kind company, I am thrilled to be joined by such a talented group of leaders.” — Mark Lazarus, SpinCo leadership announcement

from Comcast locks the ledger: Versant spinoff record date sets up a new public home for CNBC, MS NOW, and USA · Updated May 15

“As we prepare to launch VERSANT as an independent public company, we are focused on building a business with greater scale.” — Mark Lazarus, FTN deal statement

from Comcast locks the ledger: Versant spinoff record date sets up a new public home for CNBC, MS NOW, and USA · Updated May 15

"Today marks a defining moment as we officially become an independent, publicly traded company." — Mark Lazarus, Versant trading debut statement

from Comcast locks the ledger: Versant spinoff record date sets up a new public home for CNBC, MS NOW, and USA · Updated May 15