Add USA Sports to the ranks of TV-sports outlets hustling for a piece of one of the few games left that can still lure the large, live audiences advertisers crave.
Versant, the company that will be spun off over the next few weeks from NBCUniversal, launched its USA Sports division in a bid to define a broad portfolio of sports rights that encompass telecasts of NASCAR, PGA Tour, Premier League, WWE, WNBA and more. Versant will show games largely on its USA and Golf Channel cable networks. CNBC is likely to show USA Sports programming on weekends, starting in 2026.
In all, USA Sports will present more than 10,000 hours of games and studio programming, the company said.
“Our new USA Sports brand and division name leans into USA Network’s decades-long reputation as a top national sports and entertainment network,” said Matt Hong, president of USA Sports, in a statement. “Our diverse portfolio of sports properties and programming across our platforms highlights top-tier global leagues and amplifies major events throughout the sports landscape. USA Sports has something for all sports fans across the country.”
USA Sports will offer approximately 1,000 hours of women’s sports in 2026, with coverage of WNBA, LPGA Tour and League One Volleyball.
The name of the new division nods to USA Network, one of cable’s oldest properties. The channel, originally run by executive Kay Kopolowitz and owned by UA-Columbia Cablevision and Madison Square Garden Corp., launched in 1977.
Versant has an asset lineup that is heavily tilted toward cable, with networks such as MSNBC, CNBC, E! and Oxygen, among others. Executives have suggested the company will seek to bolster its properties with new products and services including newsletters and conferences. that bring them closer to the consumers who are their heaviest viewers.