NBC Sports is the sports programming division of NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast. It broadcasts a wide range of sports events across NBC, its cable channels, and Peacock. These include the NFL, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, PGA Tour golf, and college sports like Big Ten football and basketball. Following Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, Comcast's sports cable networks were integrated with NBC Sports under the NBC Sports Group umbrella, consolidating its position in the sports broadcasting landscape.
In 1972, NBC televised the 1972 Winter Olympics for the first time, expanding its Olympic coverage to include winter sports.
In 1980, NBC had secured rights to the 1980 Summer Olympics but faced a setback when the United States boycotted the event due to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. This led to scaled-back coverage and significant advertising revenue losses for NBC.
In 1988, NBC televised the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Since then, it has branded itself as "America's Olympic Network", televising every Summer Olympic Games since the Seoul event, as well as every Winter Olympic Games since 2002 Winter Olympics.
In January 2, 2012, Versus was relaunched as NBC Sports Network, accompanied by a comprehensive redesign of NBC Sports' branding. This included new on-air graphics centered around the NBC peacock logo and an updated logo for the division, replacing the one in use since 1989.
In 1998, Dick Ebersol was appointed as the president of NBC Sports and Olympics, marking a significant leadership change within the division.
In 2000, NBC chose not to renew its broadcast agreement with Major League Baseball (MLB), marking the end of an era for NBC's coverage of the sport.
In 2001, NBC partnered with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to create the XFL, a new football league featuring modified rules. NBC shared broadcast rights with UPN, with games primarily airing on Saturday nights. The XFL's fanfare was short-lived, lasting only one season.
In 2001, NBC, along with Fox and TNT, acquired the broadcast rights for NASCAR's top series in a six-year deal, televising the second half of the season and alternating Daytona 500 coverage with Fox. Also in 2001, NBC secured the broadcast rights to horse racing's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in a five-year agreement.
In 2002, NBC was outbid by ESPN and ABC for the new broadcast contract of the National Basketball Association (NBA), concluding the league's twelve-year tenure on NBC.
Since 2002 Winter Olympics, NBC has branded itself as "America's Olympic Network", televising every Summer Olympic Games since the Seoul event, as well as every Winter Olympic Games since 2002 Winter Olympics.
In 2005, a league lockout in the NHL resulting in the cancellation of the season delayed the start of NBC's broadcast contract with the NHL until the second half of the 2005-06 NHL season.
In 2008, NBC broadcast the 2008 NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor game on New Year's Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It was a success in both attendance and TV ratings.
In 2009, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals drew an average of 8 million viewers, the highest ratings for an NHL game in 36 years, marking a significant success for NBC's NHL coverage.
In 2009, the relationship between NBCSN and IndyCar Series began as Versus.
In 2010, the Winter Olympics in Vancouver drew a total of 190 million viewers, including 27.6 million for the men's hockey gold medal game.
In January 2011, Comcast finalized its acquisition of a majority stake in NBC Universal, resulting in the merger of Comcast's sports networks into the NBC Sports Group. Mike McCarley became Golf Channel's head, NBC Sports' golf production unit merged with Golf Channel under "Golf Channel on NBC", and Versus was rebranded as NBC Sports Network.
On July 3, 2011, ESPN acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to The Championships, Wimbledon, in a 12-year deal, ending NBC's 42-year television relationship with the tournament.
In 2011, Comcast acquired NBCUniversal, leading to the alignment of Comcast's sports networks with NBC Sports, forming the NBC Sports Group. This move integrated the operations of networks like Golf Channel and NBCSN under the NBC Sports umbrella in 2011.
On January 2, 2012, Versus was relaunched as NBC Sports Network, accompanied by a comprehensive redesign of NBC Sports' branding. This included new on-air graphics centered around the NBC peacock logo and an updated logo for the division, replacing the one in use since 1989.
From 2012, Major League Soccer (MLS) games were broadcast on NBC and the NBC Sports Network, including regular season, playoff, and national team matches.
On March 18, 2013, NBC Sports and NBCSN's operations were largely relocated to a new facility in Stamford, Connecticut, to capitalize on state tax credits.
In 2013, NBC Sports obtained the broadcast rights to Formula One, previously held by Speed and Fox Sports. Coverage was primarily on NBCSN, with select races on NBC and streaming available online and via the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app.
Since the 2013-14 season, NBC Sports has held the rights to televise Premier League soccer in English (primarily on NBCSN) and Spanish (on Telemundo and Universo) through a $250 million deal, replacing ESPN and Fox Soccer as the league's U.S. broadcasters.
On September 7, 2014, the production of Football Night in America relocated to Stamford, Connecticut, joining the other NBC Sports operations that had moved there earlier.
During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, over 500 hours of the games were broadcast across five NBC-owned television channels. Additionally, 1,000 hours were streamed digitally via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app for Android and iOS, including exclusive content like Gold Zone and Olympic News Desk.
On January 1, 2015, NBC Sports introduced a refreshed design for its on-air graphics, featuring a cleaner and brighter visual appearance.
On June 7, 2015, NBC Sports and The R&A reached a twelve-year deal to televise The Open Championship, Senior Open Championship, and Women's British Open on NBC and Golf Channel, beginning in 2017, due to Fox obtaining rights to USGA's championships.
In November 2015, Universal Sports ceased operations. NBCUniversal acquired the rights to the content, moving much of the programming to Universal HD, NBCSN, and NBC Sports Live Extra.
Fox previously had the U.S. Open broadcast rights until 2015
Until 2015, Major League Soccer (MLS) games were broadcast on NBC and the NBC Sports Network, including regular season, playoff, and national team matches.
On March 12, 2016, NBC Sports broadcast its first live Premiership Rugby match, featuring London Irish hosting Saracens F.C. at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, as part of a three-year deal.
In June 2016, NBC Sports launched NBC Sports Gold, a suite of sport-specific over-the-top subscription services offering expanded coverage of its properties.
In 2016, The Open Championship debuted on NBC a year earlier than initially planned after ESPN opted out of its final year of agreement.
On July 15, 2017, NBCUniversal relaunched Universal HD as Olympic Channel, a network dedicated to Olympic sports programming as a complement to its existing coverage of the Olympic Games.
In 2017, NBC Sports broadcast rights to Formula One ended.
In 2017, the twelve-year deal between NBC Sports and The R&A to televise The Open Championship, Senior Open Championship, and Women's British Open on NBC and Golf Channel, officially began.
In 2018, ESPN obtained the broadcast rights to Formula One from NBC Sports.
In 2018, NBC Sports renewed its contract with the IndyCar Series through 2021 and acquired the broadcast television rights previously held by ABC. NBC began televising eight races per season since 2019, including the Indianapolis 500, with the remaining races airing on NBCSN.
In 2018, NBC Sports rights to Premiership Rugby ended.
In 2019, NBC adopted elements of its new British sibling Sky Sports for Premier League coverage.
In 2019, NBC began televising eight IndyCar races per season, including the Indianapolis 500. Additionally, NBC announced a six-year agreement with the International Motor Sports Association, including the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with most coverage on NBCSN.
On June 29, 2020, Fox sold the remaining seven years of its contract to air USGA tournaments to NBC, bringing the U.S. Open back to NBC for the first time since 2015.
In January 2021, NBCUniversal announced plans to shut down NBCSN by the end of the year due to increased competition from streaming services and other sports networks.
In 2021, the contract between NBC Sports and IndyCar Series, which was renewed in 2018, came to an end.
On December 31, 2021, NBCSN was officially shut down. Its remaining programming rights were moved to other NBCUniversal platforms, including USA Network and Peacock.
On April 6, 2022, NBC Sports announced a deal to carry a package of Sunday afternoon MLB games on Peacock, branded as MLB Sunday Leadoff, starting in the 2022 season.
On July 1, 2022, NBC Sports announced that Olympic Channel would shut down as a linear channel on September 30, 2022.
On August 18, 2022, NBC Sports announced a seven-year deal to carry Big Ten Conference college athletics across its platforms beginning in the 2023–24 academic season. This includes primetime college football games on NBC and coverage of college basketball and Olympic sports on Peacock.
On September 30, 2022, Olympic Channel was shut down as a linear channel, as announced by NBC Sports.
During Super Bowl LVI in 2022, NBC unveiled a second redesign for its Sunday Night Football graphics package.
In June 2023, NBC Sports launched a free ad-supported streaming channel.
Beginning with the 2023 NFL season, Peacock exclusively streams at least one regular season game per season. In 2023, Peacock exclusively streamed the Miami Dolphins–Kansas City Chiefs wild card playoff game, driving 2.8 million sign-ups and averaging 23 million viewers.
In 2023, NBC Sports declined to renew its MLB Sunday Leadoff deal after the 2023 season, with the package moving to Roku instead.
In 2023, NBC began carrying Big Ten Conference college athletics across its platforms for seven-year. This includes primetime college football games on NBC and coverage of college basketball and Olympic sports on Peacock.
On June 27, 2024, NBC Sports and the Big East Conference announced a six-year deal set to begin in the 2025–26 academic year. Under the agreement, NBC Sports will broadcast over 60 men’s and women’s basketball games, including regular season and tournament matchups.
On July 23, 2024, Comcast confirmed during an investor conference call that the NBA would return to NBC Sports in the 2025–26 season under an 11-year agreement. NBC and Peacock will broadcast 100 regular season games, including Monday night games on Peacock, regional Tuesday night games, and a package of Sunday night games after the NFL season. Rights to the NBA Finals will remain with ABC. The agreement also includes broadcasting rights to the WNBA.
College football is a popular amateur sport in the United...
The National Broadcasting Company NBC is a major American commercial...
Connecticut is a state located in the New England region...
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the...
Xfinity a brand of Comcast Corporation launched in provides consumer...
Trinitrotoluene TNT or -trinitrotoluene is a chemical compound C H...
19 minutes ago North Texas Braces for Strong Storms with Large Hail; Central U.S. at Risk
20 minutes ago Tony Reali's 'Around the Horn' Journey: Reflections, Final Days, and Future Smiles
21 minutes ago Walker Buehler Ejected; Refsnyder Livid; Buehler, Lindor Exchange Words After Pitch
1 hour ago Rafael Devers' Meeting: Red Sox CEO Reveals Candid Details and First Base Discussions.
1 hour ago Tulsi Gabbard's associate pushed to rewrite intelligence to protect Trump: Leaks reveal.
1 hour ago Inter Milan Wins Against Como but Fails to Secure the Serie A Title.
Jupiter the fifth planet from the Sun is the Solar...
Cristiano Ronaldo often nicknamed CR is a highly decorated Portuguese...
Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter was an influential Australian zookeeper...
Michael Jordan also known as MJ is an American businessman...
Kash Patel is an American lawyer and former federal prosecutor...
Pope Francis is the current head of the Catholic Church...