Sept 24 (Reuters) - Cable news network MSNBC said on

Wednesday it has signed a multi-year deal with Sky News to bring

its global reporting to U.S. audiences, in an effort to

strengthen news operations.

The left-leaning media company is set to rebrand to My

Source News Opinion World, or MS NOW, and drop the iconic

peacock logo as parent Comcast ( CMCSA ) presses ahead with the

planned separation of many NBCUniversal cable networks later

this year.

The deal will bring Sky News, which has 11 international

bureaus and over 500 journalists, to all of MSNBC's platforms

beginning October 1.

"In this moment of consequential and historic news events

happening around the world that are rapidly reshaping our

collective future, we are honored to bring Sky News' premium,

on-the-ground reporting and roster of top journalists to the

MSNBC community," said MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler.

Comcast ( CMCSA ) is also the parent company of Sky News, following

the U.S. group's takeover of British pay-TV company Sky for 30.6

billion pounds ($41.14 billion) in 2018.

Comcast ( CMCSA ) plans to spin off its cable channels, including USA

Network, CNBC and MSNBC, into a new public company called

Versant - a significant shift in its media strategy as the

company repositions itself for growth in the streaming era.

MSNBC has named journalist Ian Sherwood as its Director of

International Newsgathering.

Sherwood has spent ten years in leadership roles with NBC

News international newsgathering and reporting teams. He is also

a BBC News and Sky News veteran.

($1 = 0.7439 pounds)