NBC to shut down NBC Sports Network at end of this year

The NBC Sports Network, which is best known for its coverage of the NHL and English Premier League, will be going away at the end of the year.

NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua announced the channel’s shutdown on Friday in an internal memo to staff.

NBCSN is available in 80.1 million homes, according to Nielsen’s latest estimate, which is less than ESPN (83.1 million) and FS1 (80.2 million).

The channel was launched by Comcast in 1995 as the Outdoor Life Network. It was best known for carrying the Tour de France until it acquired the NHL in 2005. It changed its name to Versus in 2006 and then to NBC Sports Network six years later after Comcast bought NBC Universal in 2011.

Bevacqua said in the memo that Stanley Cup playoff games and NASCAR races would be moving to USA Network this year. USA Network, which is available in 85.6 million homes, had already been airing early-round NHL playoff games since 2012.

The news of NBCSN shutting down also comes during a time when many of NBC Sports Group’s most valuable sports properties are coming up for renewal. This is the last season of a 10-year deal with the NHL and negotiations for the EPL rights, beginning with the 2022-23 season, are ongoing.

Many have predicted that the next rights deal with the NHL will include multiple networks with former broadcast partners ESPN and Fox Sports expected to be in the mix. NBC’s current deal averages $200 million per season.

NASCAR, which has its races from July through November on NBC and NBCSN, has a deal through 2024.