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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Stamford, Connecticut |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | NBCUniversal (Comcast) |
| Parent | NBC Sports Group |
| Sister channels | NBC Universo Golf Channel NBC Sports Regional Networks Olympic Channel USA Network Syfy CNBC |
| History | |
| Launched | July 31, 1995 (1995-07-31) |
| Closed | December 31, 2021 (2021-12-31) |
| Former names | Outdoor Life Network (1995–2006) Versus (2006–2011) NBC Sports Network (2012–2013) |
NBCSN (also known as NBC Sports Network) was an Americansports televisionchannel owned by theNBC Sports Group division ofNBCUniversal, a subsidiary ofComcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as theOutdoor Life Network (OLN), which was dedicated to programming primarily involving fishing, hunting, outdoor adventure programs, and outdoor sports. By the turn of the 21st century, OLN became better known for its extensive coverage of theTour de France but eventually began covering more "mainstream" sporting events, resulting in its relaunch asVersus in September 2006.
In 2011,Comcast, the original owner of the network,acquired a majority stake inNBCUniversal. As a result, Comcast merged the operations of its pay channels with those of NBC. In particular, it aligned the operation of its sports channels withNBC's sports division,NBC Sports. On January 1, 2012, Versus was rebranded as theNBC Sports Network. The branding was later shortened toNBCSN. By September 15, 2014, most of NBC Sports' operations, including NBCSN, had been moved to facilities inStamford, Connecticut.
As of February 2020, NBCSN was distributed to 79.879 million homes and was the second most watched cable sports network besidesESPN (though some sources includedESPN2 as a separate network in those figures).[1] On January 22, 2021, NBCUniversal announced that the network would cease operations by the end of the year. NBCSN ceased operations on December 31, 2021, with its sports properties moved toUSA Network,Peacock, and other NBCUniversal networks.[2]
The channel originally launched as theOutdoor Life Network (orOLN) on July 31, 1995;[3] the name was licensed fromOutdoor Life magazine. Its programming consisted of hunting, fishing, and outdoor adventure shows. In its early days, the channel reached around one million homes and found most of its carriage via the then-infant platforms ofdirect broadcast satellite services anddigital cable.[4] The network was one of two (the other beingSpeedvision) formed out of a partnership ofCox Cable andTimes Mirror which had combined their cable systems operations a year earlier. Outdoor Life was originally planned to have launched at the beginning of July 1995. However, it was delayed when Times Mirror decided to reassess its media holdings. Times Mirror decided to reduce its stake in the two new networks to 10%; bringing Comcast andContinental Cablevision on as partners. The network initially had trouble gaining carriage and was also broadcast on severallow power television stations.[5]
In 1999, OLN acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to theTour de France for US$3 million. Coverage of theTour on OLN brought substantially greater viewership to the then fledgling channel, due in part to the then-growing popularity of American riderLance Armstrong. In2004, where Armstrong would aim for a record-breaking sixth straight Tour de France title, OLN would devote over 344 hours in July to coverage of theTour, along with documentaries and other original programming surrounding the event, all of which promoted through a $20 million advertising campaign.[6]
Overall, while its coverage of the Tour de France helped OLN expand its carriage to over 60 million homes, rumors surrounding Armstrong's possible retirement from cycling led to concerns over the channel's overemphasis on him in its coverage (to the point that some critics sarcastically stated that OLN actually stood for "Only Lance Network").[7] Critics questioned whether the network could sustain itself without the viewership that Lance Armstrong's presence had brought to its coverage.[4]
Following the2005Tour (where Armstrong captured his seventh victory in the race, and announced his retirement from cycling afterward), OLN debuted a new lineup of programming–led by the acquisition ofoff-network reruns of thereality competition seriesSurvivor. OLN's executives believed that bringingSurvivor into its lineup would fit well with the new direction it had planned for OLN, and could attract viewership from fans of the show who had watched it onCBS, though it was also the first example to prove that traditional repeats of reality competitions with the results already known was an unviable strategy.[8]
Around the same period, OLN also acquired the rights to theDakar Rally,America's Cup, theBoston Marathon, and theIditarod. OLN planned to cover these events in a similar style to how it covered theTour, hoping that its coverage might bring "surprise" results for the channel.[8] Due in part to Armstrong's absence from theTour in 2006, its ratings for live coverage of the first four stages of the race drew 49% fewer viewers than previous years.[7]
In May 2005,ESPN rejected a $60 million offer to renew itsbroadcasting contract with theNational Hockey League into the2005–06 season, and the league rejected its alternate proposal for a revenue sharing agreement similar to the one it had established withNBC. With theNFL also shopping anew late-season package of Thursday and Saturday night games to potential broadcasters, speculation began to emerge that Comcast would bid on the new NHL contract as its first step to transforming OLN into a mainstream sports channel that could compete with ESPN.[8] Comcast had already been involved in NHL broadcasting; at the time, it owned majority control of thePhiladelphia Flyers, and fourComcast SportsNetregional sports networks.[9]
In August 2005, ESPN declined to match Comcast's offer, and OLN acquired pay television rights to the NHL beginning in the 2005–2006 season in a three-year deal worth close to $200 million. The new deal would include 58 regular season games on Monday and Tuesday nights, coverage of theNHL All-Star Game, conference finals, and the first two games of theStanley Cup Finals.[9] With the help of its new NHL package, by June 2006, OLN had now reached 75 million subscribers. However, due in part to OLN's lesser carriage in comparison to ESPN, the NHL's ratings that season had suffered in comparison.[10]
In 2006, OLN broadcast selected games in theArena Football League's2006 season. The channel televised a weekly regular-season game for 11 weeks as well as a wild card playoff game.[11] However, the agreement was not renewed and was later picked up byESPN, who also acquired a minority stake in the league's ownership.[12]
In April 2006, Comcast announced that it would be renaming Outdoor Life Network toVersus in the fall of 2006. As the network had shifted beyond simply "outdoor" programming, the name "Versus" was intended to represent the common element of competition within its lineup.[13] OLN's re-launch as Versus occurred on September 25, 2006.
Among the new programming acquired by Versus was a number ofcombat sports, beginning with a series ofboxing programs promoted byBob Arum'sTop Rank promotion. The channel also began televisingChuck Norris'sWorld Combat League, akickboxing promotion featuring a unique round ring without ropes. Versus entered into a partnership withWorld Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) to bringmixed martial arts events to the channel, with the first being broadcast live on June 3, 2007.
The channel also added a variety of sports events as part of the rebranding, including men's and women's college basketball, high school basketball,[14][15] a weekly "game of the week" for theNational Lacrosse League, darts competitions, theMajor Indoor Soccer League, and theUSA Sevens, one of the nine tournaments (then eight) that make up theIRB Sevens World Series, the top annual circuit in thesevens version ofrugby union.
In 2007, Versus expanded its college football coverage; the network acquired a portion of the rights to theMountain West Conference (as part of the deal, Comcast also took a stake in the conference's new cable networkMountainWest Sports Network),[16] and acquired a package of 10Big 12 andPac-10 football games sublicensed fromFox Sports Net (replacing a package it had previously sub-licensed toTBS).[17]
In 2008, Versus announced a contract with theIvy League to broadcast at least three games each year beginning in the 2008 season, culminating with the annualHarvard–Yale rivalry game. The initial two-year contract was later renewed in 2010.[18]
Versus secured coverage for the2007 America's Cup, which had been a staple on ESPN and ESPN2 for years. The channel began to show qualifying regattas in late 2005, aired theLouis Vuitton Cup for challengers in 2007, and the America's Cup match between the Louis Vuitton winner and current champions, won byAlinghi of Switzerland inValencia, Spain. In 2006, it picked up American broadcast rights (in conjunction withThe Tennis Channel) ofDavis Cup events.
Versus, withNBC Sports and the World Championship Sports Network (laterUniversal Sports), broadcast coverage of the2007 World Championships in Athletics from Osaka, Japan, as well as the2009 World Championships in Athletics from Berlin, Germany.
On January 28, 2008, Versus and the NHL extended their television contract through the 2010–11 season.[19] In June 2008, operations were moved fromStamford, Connecticut, to Comcast's headquarters inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.[20] On August 7, 2008, the channel announced a 10-year deal with theIndy Racing League to broadcast at least 13IndyCar Series events a year in HD, beginning in 2009.[21] The channel would also broadcast various motorsports series on itsLucas Oil Motorsports Hour program such asUSAC, theLucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, andWorld Series of Off-Road Racing.[22]
The channel aired the96th Grey Cup, the championship game of theCanadian Football League in 2008.[23]
On April 5, 2010, Versus debutedThe Daily Line, asports betting show consisting of a four-person panel (hostLiam McHugh before moving to NBC Sports, handicapper Rob DeAngelis, comedianReese Waters, andJenn Sterger) who discussed, often with heavy satire, sports-related topics that were popular that day.[24] However, the show was cancelled due to low viewership on November 4, 2010.[25] It was revived byNBC Sports Radio in 2019 after thePASPA Act wasdeclared unconstitutional, though NBCSN instead blended betting content into regular programming.[26]
The Ultimate Fighting Championship would air two live events on the channel due to the new contract agreement with UFC sister promotion World Extreme Cagefighting. The first edition ofUFC on Versus aired on March 21, 2010, headlined byBrandon Vera vs.Jon Jones in the Light Heavyweight division. The second event aired on August 1 withJon Jones facingVladimir Matyushenko. Also as part of the agreement with the UFC, several UFC Countdown shows would air. A countdown show aired the week of apay-per-view event, usually lasting for one hour, and covering 2–3 of the biggest fights on the card. In August 2011, the UFC announced a new broadcasting deal with the channels of rivalFox Sports, which would begin to take effect in November 2011.[27]
Versus had also struck a deal with the NBA to air 10 regular seasonNBA Development League Saturday night games, as well as six playoff games a year. In total, the channel would air 16 NBA Development League games,[28] in addition to 25 hours of NBA specials.
Starting in August 2010, Versus aired nine races of theNASCARWhelen Modified Tour and NASCARWhelen Southern Modified Tour each Wednesday at 7 p.m. The races originated from a variety of locations, includingStafford Motor Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, and Thompson Motor Speedway.[29]
In February 2011, Comcast acquired a majority stake inNBC Universal, and merged its content operations into the company. As part of the acquisition, Versus and Comcast's other sports channels began to be integrated into theNBC Sports division. Coinciding with the merger, President Jamie Davis was replaced by Comcast Sports Group president Jon Litner. Litner began to oversee the channel, in addition to his other duties following the Comcast takeover.[30]
In March 2011, Versus expanded its college football coverage by becoming the pay-TV partner forNBC's coverage ofNotre Dame football, airing replays of Notre Dame games, and the first ever live broadcast of the team's annual spring game. Its coverage began with a marathon of three classic Fighting Irish games onMarch 17, St. Patrick's Day, to serve as a prelude to its coverage of the spring game.[31]
For the 2011 season, Versus also returned to airingNational Lacrosse League telecasts with a nine-game package, starting with the2011 All-Star Game and culminating with theChampion's Cup final.[32] Versus would drop the NLL for the league's2012 season; U.S. broadcast rights were instead picked up byCBS Sports Network.[33]
In April 2011, NBC Sports and Versus announced they had reached a ten-year extension to their television contract with the National Hockey League worth nearly $2 billion over the life of the contract. As part of the announcement,Dick Ebersol, the former chairman of NBC Sports, said that Versus would be renamed "within 90 days" in order to reflect the synergy resulting from the merger.[34] However, the announcement of a new name did not come until August 1, 2011, when Comcast announced that Versus would be relaunched as the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN)[35] on January 1, 2012. The relaunch coincided with NBC's coverage of theNHL Winter Classic, which took place on the same day.[36]
In an interview withTV Guide, president of programming Jon Miller stated that NBCSN was to be positioned as a credible "full-service sports network", droppinglow-brow programming (such asWhacked Out Sports andThe T.Ocho Show) in favor of focusing on event coverage, and sports news and talk programs, including new original programming.[37] NBC also made efforts[38] to expand its current broadcasting relationships and acquire new rights for additional sports events to be broadcast on the channel. In the months leading up to the relaunch, NBC struck deals withMajor League Soccer,[39] dropped theUFL,[40] and added coverage ofcollege hockey games.[41]
On June 6, 2011, it was revealed that NBC Sports would extend its rights to theOlympic Games through 2020, outbidding competing bids by Fox Sports andESPN in a $4.38 billion contract. The network began to participate in NBC's overall coverage beginning at the2012 Summer Olympics.[36][42][43] Its coverage of thewomen's soccer gold medal match between the United States and Japan set a new viewership record for the network, with 4.35 million viewers.[44]
In August 2013, after having largely been used as an initialism in unofficial capacities, the channel officially shortened its name to NBCSN.[45][46] The change was made to help streamline its branding in preparation for the2014 Winter Olympics, by which time the name change was mostly complete.[45]
On September 22, 2013, NBCSN broadcast an episode ofUnder Wild Skies—ahunting program aired as atime-buy by theNRA—in which host and NRA lobbyist Tony Makris was shown killing anAfrican elephant on a trip toBotswana. The network was criticized by the media for airing such material; while NBC responded by pulling the episode due to its "objectionable" content and stating that it would be more "aggressive" towards the content of future episodes of the program.Under Wild Skies was pulled from the network entirely after Makris made remarks on an NRA-produced webcast comparing critics of the show toHitler.[47][48] The network's outdoors block, its final connection with its OLN era, was slowly wound down by 2016 with natural contract expirations, as the outdoor networks ofKroenke Sports & Entertainment effectively monopolized the market through their own three networks, along with streaming providers. The editorial standards for those venues also had more tolerance to the firearms-centric genre (and advertiser base) of outdoors programming.
NBCSN simulcast Spanish-language coverage of two matches from the2018 FIFA World Cup from corporate siblingTelemundo:Brazil vs.Switzerland on June 17, andEngland vs.Belgium on June 28.[49][50]
In December 2018, the yearly ratings rankings for American sports networks saw NBCSN rank second for the first time, ahead ofESPN2, which fell below the second spot for the first time in its history.[51]
Because of Comcast's acquisition ofSky plc, NBCSN partnered with the British media firm'sSky Sports division on coverage of international events. The first collaboration came at the Premier Leaguetransfer deadline in January 2019. Two months later, NBCSN added an hour-long simulcast of theSky Sports News channel to its weekday morning lineup, returning that program to the American airwaves for the first time since the discontinuation ofFox Soccer in September 2013.[52][53]
On January 22, 2021, an internal memo sent by NBC Sports president Pete Bevacqua announced that the network would cease operations by the end of the year, and thatUSA Network and NBC would begin "carrying and/or simulcasting certain NBC Sports programming," including theStanley Cup Playoffs,IndyCar Series, andNASCAR Cup Series, before NBCSN's shutdown (NBC lost the rights to the NHL to anESPN/Turner Sports consortium after the 2020–2021 season).
When NBCSN was shuttered, its programming was effectively merged into USA Network's schedule, with some events also moving toCNBC on weekends, freeing NBC Sports from the burden of having secondary programming to fill time without any live sporting events.Peacock, NBCUniversal's new streaming service, began to broadcast some of the network's former programming such asNotre Dame hockey, and would also simulcast several major sports events held by NBCSN as a transitional move, most notably the opening games of the2021 Stanley Cup Finals.[54][55]
The move was cited by industry analysts as a response to the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic on thesports andtelevision industries, the acceleration ofcord-cutting, as well as formidable competition from rival sports networks such asESPN andFox Sports 1, noting the company saw an overall revenue drop by 19% to $6.72 billion.[55][56]
Following a gradual "wind-down" of operations (even further aggravated by NBC's loss of NHL rights), it was further disclosed as to the process of how NBCSN would cease operations on November 2, 2021; specifically, it was revealed on that date that a majority of NBCSN's sports rights, beginning with rights toPremier League soccer, would transfer over toUSA Network, theOlympic Channel (which itself shut down nine months after NBCSN did)[57] andPeacock, beginning at 12:00:01 a.m. on January 1, 2022; at that time, the network, aftersigning off, would then carry a looping advisory video advising viewers where their programs could be found until January 10, though the provider could simply take the channel dark immediately after sign-off.[58] NBC also advised viewers during broadcasts of affected games as to their new location, along with making sureelectronic program guide listings reflected the channel's closure, and the company's social media was used to advise viewers as well.[2] Mecum Auctions already had a secondary content deal withMotor Trend and a tertiary deal withRFD TV; Motor Trend became its primary television partner at the start of 2022,[59] though the fate of other surrounding non-NBC programming such asPowerNation programming (which is offered throughits owner's own streaming service, Vuit), is unknown.
The final live sports broadcast aired on NBCSN was an exhibitioncornhole "Team USA vs. The World" event (both men's and women's) fromMyrtle Beach, South Carolina (during the 2021 US Open Cornhole Championships)[60] on December 31. It led into the final program, a replay of the second day of Mecum'sKansas City auction event from December 3, and following the program the transition to the advisory loop was done without ceremony. Said loop continued until 2:34 p.m. ET on January 10, when it went dark.[61]
TheCanadian iteration of the former OLN was relaunched under another NBCUniversal brand,Bravo, on September 1, 2024.[62]
As of September 15, 2014, the entirety of NBC Sports' operations, including NBCSN, moved to a new campus inStamford, Connecticut.
Football Night in America remained atNBC Studios in Rockefeller Center until September 7, 2014, when that program also moved to Stamford.[63]
_(NBCSN_set).jpg)
WSOF was formed in 2012, having signed a broadcast deal with the NBC Sports Network. This was the third MMA promotion that NBC Sports has hosted, having broadcastWorld Extreme Cagefighting andUltimate Fighting Championship events when the channel was formerly known asVersus.[72] NBC Sports had been one of the bidders for the rights to broadcast future UFC events, but lost out toFox.[73] However, some journalists regarded WSOF's deal with NBC Sports to be a considerable coup for a debuting promotion, considering NBC Sports' past interest in the UFC.[73] Upon the announcement of the broadcast deal, WSOF PresidentRay Sefo stated that the promotion wanted to host 8–10 events per year, whilst holding a one-year deal with NBC Sports.[74] However, the next day, an NBC spokesman revealed that the deal only covered WSOF's inaugural event, with the option for more, should NBC hold a positive evaluation.[73] On February 4, 2013, it was reported by several news outlets that NBC Sports signed a 3-year deal with WSOF.[75][76]
On December 16, 2012, NBC Sports Network, along withCNBC, aired a portion of theSunday Night Football game between theSan Francisco 49ers and theNew England Patriots. This was because the game's coverage on NBC was interrupted byPresidentBarack Obama's press conference following theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting. NBCSN will continue to serve as overflow coverage forSunday Night Football and other NFL games covered by NBC in the event the ongoing game is interrupted by anNBC News special coverage.[77]
On July 23, 2013, NBC announced thatcoverage ofNASCAR racing would return to NBC beginning in the 2015 season under a new contract lasting through 2024. The deal includes broadcast rights to the second half of theNASCAR Playoffs andXfinity Series seasons; the majority of which will air on NBCSN.[78][79]
On August 17, 2014, NBCSN aired rain-delayed coverage of theUSGA's 2014United States Amateur Challenge, making it the firstgolf event to be televised on the network.
Original programs aired by the network includeNBC SportsTalk, and the weeklyCNBC Sports Biz, which both debuted in the fall of 2011 (the latter ending whenDarren Rovell moved toESPN as theirsports business correspondent).Bob Costas hostsCostas Tonight, which consists of monthly interview episodes, and quarterlytown hall specials – the first of which aired fromIndianapolis on February 2, 2012, as part of NBC's overall coverage ofSuper Bowl XLVI.[37]
The network also added more documentary-style series, including36,Caught Looking (a weekly series co-produced withMajor League Baseball), andSports Illustrated, a monthly series produced in conjunction with themagazine of the same name.[80][81]
On August 13, 2012, NBCSN premiered a new morning show,The 'Lights, which consists of a 20-minute loop of sports highlights with no on-camera personalities, repeated from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. ET.[81]
In 2014, NBCSN premiered a new auto-themed reality seriesMecum Dealmakers. It was renewed for a second season in 2015.[82]
In April 2016, NBCSN acquired rights to air theDan Patrick-hostedSports Jeopardy! The premiere run followed nightly2016 Summer Olympics coverage, and joined NBCSN's Wednesday night schedule later in October.[83]
In February 2019, it was announced thatThe Dan Patrick Show would be dropped and replaced by an encore ofPFT Live and an hour-long simulcast block of British sister channelSky Sports News.[53] In April 2020, it was announced that the latter would be replaced by the newNFL studio showNBC Sports Football Flex on April 13.[84]
At the beginning of September 2009,DirecTV pulled Versus from its lineup, as it was unable to reach terms on a rate increase demanded by Comcast. In public statements (including a message shown on the channel which formerly carried Versus), DirecTV scolded Comcast for its "unfair and outrageous demands", and considered the company to be "simply piggish" in its demands for higher rates, as it derisively pronounced Versus as "apaid programming and infomercial channel with occasional sporting events."[85] On March 15, 2010, an agreement was reached between the two sides and Versus returned to DirecTV's lineup. The channel was returned to its original package on the service, Choice Xtra.[86] The network then drastically reduced its paid programming blocks to a more traditional late night-only arrangement under NBC management (between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. Eastern time), and mainly limited their offerings to trusted advertisers such asTime Life. The paid programming itself was also subject to pre-emption with live sports from Asia or Australia, and fully put on hiatus during Olympic coverage.
A1080ihigh-definition feed of the network was launched in January 2007. Initially, its HD feed was shared with sister networkGolf Channel in an arrangement marketed asVersus/Golf HD; Golf Channel programming was broadcast during the daytime hours, and Versus programming was broadcast during the evening and primetime hours with some schedule variation during Tour de France coverage. The shared channel was replaced by individual HD feeds for both channels in December 2008.[87]
In May 2013, the network'sstandard-definition feed was converted to awidescreen presentation withletterboxing to duplicate the display seen on the high-definition feed in line with their competitors' presentations of their SD channels.