:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2253204541-17a5dd0a2af0462fa0a1cee3a6d121d3.jpg "Versant Stock Slides in Its First Day of Trading. Here’s What You Need to Know About the Comcast Spin-Off.")
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Key Takeaways
- Versant shares tumbled in their first day of trading on Monday.
- The group of cable channels and digital properties was spun off from Comcast last year, and includes CNBC, MS NOW and the USA Network.
Versant (VSNT) shares fell sharply after they started trading on the Nasdaq exchange Monday, as the company completed its spin-off from Comcast (CMCSA).
Versant shares opened the session just above $45 but finished the session at $40.57, after falling to near $39.
Comcast announced plans in late 2024 to spin off its cable TV channels including CNBC, MSNBC (since rebranded to MS NOW), USA Network, Golf Channel and others. That new company, which also owns digital brands Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, was eventually named Versant.
Why This Matters to Investors
Versant provides another way for investors to gain exposure to the cable TV market, a concentrated industry that rarely sees new companies join the public markets. Versant’s performance as a standalone stock could signal how investors feel about the shrinking cable TV business.
“As part of Comcast and NBCU we had other priorities as a company,” Versant CEO Mark Lazarus said on CNBC Monday. “We made different decisions, because we had a different company and a different strategy. Now we’re bringing these [assets] into their own company, we’re going to be able to invest into them.
At its December 2025 investor day, Versant said it generated an estimated $6.6 billion in revenue in 2025, down from the $7.1 billion the company said it made in 2024, per a regulatory filing. Versant said its viewing numbers in terms of hours watched compare to some of the most popular streaming services like Disney+ and that news and sports content make up about 60% of its portfolio. Across its channels, the company broadcasts NASCAR racing, Premier League soccer and the WNBA.
Cable TV subscriber numbers have been shrinking for years as media companies and consumers focus more on streaming services, with a range of cable-like bundles now available. Another media giant, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), has also decided to spin off its TV networks into standalone companies, set to take place before the company is acquired by Netflix (NFLX).
