NHL hockey games, NASCAR races and other live shows now air on USA Network and Peacock.
NBCUniversal is shutting down NBCSN, its cable sports network.
The channel will close in late 2021, with its live sporting events being broadcast on the USA Network and Peacock.
According to a memo to the team of NBC Sports President Pete Bevacqua, NHL games (including the Stanley Cup playoffs) and NASCAR races will begin in the US later this year, “with key elements of the schedule of NBCSN migrating to the USA Network and, in some cases, Peacock to 2022 and beyond. “
The channel, which launched in 1995 and went through a few iterations before it was renamed NBC Sports Network in 2012, served as a cable TV home for NHL hockey, live Olympics coverage, Premier League football and racing. from NASCAR. It was available in almost 80 million households in 2020.
In his memo, Bevacqua suggests that the change would increase the audience for NBC’s sports programming by placing it on the USA, which is more widely distributed and has more viewers than NBCSN, while giving the United States a significant boost in programming. .
“This will make the USA Network an extraordinarily powerful platform in the media market and give our sports programming a significant increase in audience,” wrote Bevacqua. “We believe that the power of this offering is the best long-term strategy for our Sports Group, our partners and our Company.”
Read his full memo below.
January 22, 2021
Team: We are all aware of the speed with which the media landscape is evolving, and our company is taking careful steps to stay ahead of these trends whenever possible and, in many cases, to help define them.
As proof of our strong commitment to live sports programming, we recently transferred all linear studio productions from the GOLF Channel to Stamford, and we are producing several new programs for Peacock and other platforms in Stamford as well. In addition, we are doing more in partnership with our colleagues at Telemundo and Sky Sports.
From the end of this year, the USA Network will begin to simultaneously transport and / or broadcast certain NBC Sports programs, including the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games and NASCAR races, as part of a larger transition within the company.
At the conclusion of 2021, we decided that the best next strategic step for our Sports Group and the entire Company is to shut down NBCSN completely, with the main elements of the NBCSN programming moving to USA Network and, in some cases, Peacock to 2022 and beyond.
This will make USA Network an extraordinarily powerful platform in the media market and give our sports programming a significant increase in audience. We believe that the power of this offer is the best long-term strategy for our Sports Group, our partners and our Company.
This transition, combined with our robust portfolio of assets, including GOLF Channel, The Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, RSNs, SportsEngine, GolfNow, digital, audio, sports betting and games, puts us in an even stronger position as leaders in the sports media space and continue to expand our business.
We will keep you informed as the broader plan develops and please attend a virtual meeting on Tuesday afternoon, January 26, to answer your questions. A meeting invitation will come soon.
Thank you for everything you are doing on behalf of the NBC Sports Group.
–Pete Bevacqua