NBC Sports to shut down NBCSN
STAMFORD — NBC Sports Group, one of the largest media businesses based in Connecticut, confirmed Tuesday that it would shut down its NBCSN cable channel on Dec. 31 and move much of its programming to the cable USA Network, which is another division of parent company NBCUniversal.
USA Network will expand its programming with the addition of “premium NBC Sports events,” including coverage from soccer’s English Premier League, NASCAR, INDYCAR, the Olympic Games, USGA and R&A Golf Championships, college and Olympic sports, horse racing and cycling, NBC Sports officials said in a press release about the changes.
CNBC, the Peacock streaming service and “other linear platforms will also host a wide variety of live sports,” according to NBC Sports officials.
On Jan. 1, USA Network will kick off its new programming with a Premier League tripleheader, led by a match between defending champion Manchester City and the visiting Arsenal.
“We are excited to transition the cable coverage of many of our premium sports events to USA Network, Peacock and other widely distributed NBCUniversal platforms, which will give us a significant boost in television homes and will put us in an even stronger position as we grow our business,” NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua said in a statement.
Starting Jan. 1, NBCSN will display a “slate” to inform viewers about tune-in information. NBC Sports said it will also conduct “extensive marketing and social media campaigns as well as content within telecasts to alert viewers about the situation.”
In addition, it said NBC Sports’ partners will “educate their fan bases about the change. Exact timing of the network’s decommissioning may vary based on distributors.”
USA Network is well established as a sports carrier. During this past summer’s Tokyo Olympics, it delivered live coverage of track and field, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, indoor volleyball and softball. It ranked as the No. 1 sports-and-entertainment cable network in prime time, with an average of 1.6 million viewers, according to data provided by NBC Sports.
“USA has always been home to big, iconic characters — on reality shows like ‘Chrisley Knows Best,’ premium scripted dramas like ‘Chucky’ and ‘The Sinner,’ and of course the high-octane energy of our WWE personalities — and larger-than-life pro athletes will fit right in,” Frances Berwick, chairman of Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television & Streaming, said in a statement.
“We expect this expansion of our live sports offering will both engage existing fans and bring in new communities to USA, further cementing the network as a top destination for the best and broadest entertainment in all of its many forms.”
The end of NBCSN will not affect NBC Sports’ most-watched show, “Sunday Night Football,” which is carried on the NBC broadcast channel and Peacock. SNF finished as the No. 1 prime-time show for a record 10thstraight year, attracting an average audience of about 17 million in the 2020 NFL regular season.
NBC Sports’ decision to wind down NBCSN was originally disclosed in a staff memo sent Jan. 29 by Bevacqua. He described the changes “as part of a larger transition” within the organization.
Founded in 1995 as the Outdoor Life Network — and later renamed Versus, before taking its current name — NBCSN became known for its NASCAR, NHL and Premier League coverage, along with its Olympics telecasts. Available to tens of millions of homes, it has consistently ranked as the second-mostwatched cable sports channel, after ESPN.
The NBCSN shutdown will not result in any local job cuts, according to city officials.
NBC Sports is headquartered at 1 Blachley Road, yards from Interstate 95’s Exit 9. It employs about 750 in Stamford, according to data shared by the company.