 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Woodland Hills, California |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
| Launched | 2006; 19 years ago (2006) |
| Closed | November 16, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-11-16) |
| Replaced by | Olympic Channel (2017; Universal HD carried existing contracts between 2015–2017) |
| Former names | World Championship Sports Network (2006–2008) |
Universal Sports was an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network. It was owned as a joint venture betweenInterMedia Partners (which owned a controlling 92% interest) andNBCUniversal (which owned the remaining 8%).
The channel was launched in 2006 asWorld Championship Sports Network (WCSN); it was co-founded byClaude Ruibal (who served as itschairman andchief executive officer) andTom Hipkins (who served as a member of the channel'sboard of directors), with the help ofCarlos Silva (its president andchief operating officer). One of the first events broadcast by WCSN was coverage of theUnited States Track and Field Championships viastreaming video.
In 2007,InterMedia Partners gained a majority ownership interest in the network. By March 2008, WCSN began to be carried onbroadcast television, through thedigital subchannels of several stations owned by theGranite Broadcasting Corporation.
NBCUniversal entered into a partnership with InterMedia in which the former acquired a minority interest in the channel; in addition, on June 16, 2008, the network was rebranded asUniversal Sports, incorporating a new logo with theNBC peacock. By November 2008, all 10 ofNBC's owned-and-operated stations had begun carrying the network on one of their digital subchannels. Universal Sports offered carriage on broadcast stations on a channel lease basis until 2011, with the provision that the stations strike deals with cable providers in their markets to carry the network by January 31, 2009. If a station failed to obtain cable carriage, the network had the right to move its affiliation to another station in that market that would be able to gain cable carriage. The network was being shopped toNBC-affiliated stations until December 1.
On June 17, 2010, Universal Sports, along with theInternational Rugby Board, announced that the channel would bring "unprecedented national television and digital media coverage of the 2011 and 2015Rugby World Cup tournaments."
On October 22, 2015, it was announced that Universal Sports would shut down on November 16, 2015, and thatNBC Sports would inherit the network's portfolio of sports rights for its own networks (such asNBC,NBCSN andUniversal HD).[1] The channel shut down at 6AM on that day; with the documentary "5 Peaks in a Day from Switzerland" being the network's last program. On July 1, 2017, theUnited States Olympic Committee and the NBC Sports Group launched theOlympic Channel, effectively serving as Universal Sports' eventual replacement channel.
On June 15, 2011,DirecTV added Universal Sports as a national basic channel. The carriage agreement with DirecTV led NBCUniversal and InterMedia to announce on September 12, 2011, that it would transition Universal Sports into a cable- and satellite-exclusive service (effectively dropping its over-the-air affiliates) by January 2012. On January 1, 2012, Universal Sports was dropped by most cable providers as a result of a protracted battle to get them to offer the service as apremium channel.[2] One of the providers to drop the channel wasComcast, the nation's largest cable company and part-owner of Universal Sports' co-parent NBCUniversal at the time (it would later acquire the remaining ownership interest held byGeneral Electric in 2013).
The channel had long-term broadcasting agreements with theInternational Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), theInternational Cycling Union (UCI), theInternational Federation of Gymnastics (FIG), theInternational Rowing Federation (FISA), theInternational Ski Federation (FIS), theInternational Swimming Federation (FINA), and the International Rugby Board (IRB).
The channel provided year-round coverage of events that generally receive attention every few years. Through television carriage and internet streaming, viewers were provided an in-depth look at how Olympic athletes compete between the games. Universal Sports promoted itself as "the athlete's network," and extended its coverage throughblogs andinterviews outside ofcompetition. As reported by Olympic news outletAround the Rings, Universal Sports and Infront Sports and Media announced an exclusive media rights agreement for the International Ski Federation World Cup events beginning with the 2011–2012 season.