NBC to close sports channel NBCSN in US

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief

Published: January 22 2021 | 20:21

Last updated: January 22 2021 | 22:10

US network NBC announces the closure of its sports service NBCSN by the end of 2021.

NBC has announced that it will close its sports network NBCSN by the end of the year.

The US broadcaster - owned by Comcast, parent company of Sky in the UK - has the exclusive rights to broadcast Premier League football in the States in a deal that runs until the end of the 2021-22 season.

NBCSN airs select games, alongside coverage of the NHL and NASCAR, but the sports will start to transition to NBC's general entertainment service USA Network in the coming months.

"USA has been a top five cable entertainment brand for over twenty years by way of constantly broadening our slate and finding ways to excite our viewers through immersive storytelling and iconic personalities, "said Frances Berwick, chairman of NBCU's entertainment networks.

"We remain committed to original entertainment programming, and believe that high-profile live sports will complement USA's broad premium scripted, unscripted and WWE slate, enabling us to engage our passionate, intersecting audiences more deeply and with greater urgency."

NBCSN first launched in 1995 under the name The Outdoor Network, with programming in the early days focussed on fishing and hunting, then transitioned to the brand 'Versus' in 2006 as it added mainstream sporting coverage, eventually adopting the NBCSN moniker in 2012.

NBC is not believed to have any plans to close down its dedicated golf channel, which has also been in operation since 1995.