NBC Sports Network is returning after it was shut down in 2021. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
(Catherine Ivill – AMA via Getty Images)
NBC Sports Network was not gone for long.
NBC announced Thursday that it was bringing back the channel as part of its announcement of a new deal between NBC Universal and YouTube TV to continue carrying NBC on the provider.
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NBC and Google’s carriage agreement had expired at the end of September and the two parties had reached a short-term agreement in the interim. In its announcement, NBC said that NBCS “will complement the prominent sports properties presented year-round on the NBC broadcast network.”
NBC Sports Network first launched in 2012 when the Versus cable network was rebranded. NBC used it for programming like NASCAR and the English Premier League along with various college sports events until it was shut down at the end of 2021 with the network’s sports programming moving to USA and the Peacock streaming service.
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However, NBCSN now returns as USA will no longer be under the NBC Universal umbrella. Comcast spun off its cable channels from NBC Universal into a new company called Versant. That company will own networks like USA, Golf Channel, E!, CNBC and MSNBC and the channels will no longer use the NBC logo when Versant officially starts operating independently from Comcast on Oct. 6 with the separation officially complete by the end of the year.
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Earlier this week, Versant announced that it had obtained the rights to WNBA games on USA as part of an 11-year deal. Versant will air at least 50 games a year and the deal includes the rights to some playoff games.
