NBCUniversal is back in the game of operating a stand-alone sports network.
The Comcast-controlled media conglomerate said it would revive NBCSN, or NBC Sports Network, and devote it to sports programming that usually streams on the company’s Peacock service, including Monday-night NBA games and the “Gold Zone” Olympics whip-around show.
“NBCUniversal delivers the biggest moments in sports, and the new NBC Sports Network gives pay-tv customers a seamless way to enjoy the wide range of sports in our portfolio, adding an important pillar in our linear and streaming strategy,” said Matt Schnaars, president, platform distribution and partnerships at NBCUniversal, in a statement.
NBCU, which previously operated an NBCSN that first started as a small sports network called Outdoor Life Network, then Versus, shut the property down in 2021. Now it will return first on YouTube TV — giving Comcast a chance to tweak competitor Disney, whose ESPN and other properties are currently not available on the service due to a blackout and disagreement over carriage terms.
The deal with YouTube TV likely adds new wrinkles to the usual back-and-forth between content companies and their distributors. Cable and video companies like Charter Communications and Cox would no doubt like to be able to give their customers access to the content that streams exclusively on services like Peacock or Disney+. Indeed, in some cases deals have been struck that make streaming outlets like Disney+ part of a pay-TV subscription.
But NBC’s solution, creating a stand-alone pay-TV network that features streaming-only content could divert subscriptions away from Peacock and toward YouTube TV, creating some headwinds in the effort to win new Peacock customers. Executive at NBCU, however, see deploying a new NBCSN as a critical move to keep a substantial number of pay-TV subscribers engaged with traditional platforms, where the fees they pay create significant revenue for NBC.
NBC said NBCSN would soon be available on Comcast’s own Xfinity service, and via other distributors in months to come.
In addition to Monday-night NBA games, NBCSC will offer Premier League soccer matches, WNBA games, Big Ten and Notre Dame football and Kentucky Derby undercard races, among other sports. The service is also expected to offer Major League Baseball games as part of an agreement many expect to be unveiled between NBC and Major League Baseball.
Some events, however, will remain solely on Peacock, including a special NFL game and hours of Olympics coveage.