A popular sports network will return on Monday, Nov. 17, as fans continue to seek ways to watch college football, the NBA, and multiple other leagues.
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According to a press release, NBC Universal is bringing NBC Sports Network back from the dead. The network shut down at the end of 2021 as some of the sports properties moved to USA Network and other channels. Now, however, NBC Sports Network will be back in action.
The revived NBC Sports Network will be available exclusively for subscribers of pay-TV services. The network will first land on YouTube TV before heading to Xfinity. NBCSN will then head to other distributors, which NBC Universal will reveal at a later date.
The list of content is significant. It includes several live sports and daily talk shows, including the following:
- Monday Night NBA games and the NBA Playoffs
- Dozens of MLB regular-season games and some postseason games (pending an agreement)
- Premier League matches
- "Gold Zone" hosted by Scott Hanson, which provides coverage of the Milan Olympics this winter.
- WNBA regular-season and playoff games
- Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 Men's and Women's Basketball
- Big Ten and Notre Dame football
- Golf, including the U.S. Open and The Open Championship
- Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Vuelta a España, and other cycling events
- The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks
- Olympic sports
- "PFT Live," "The Dan Patrick Show," "The Dan Le Batard Show," and "Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry"
One key detail is that NASCAR content will not live on NBC Sports Network. It will have a home under the newly announced USA Sports banner. These races will continue airing on USA Network along with "WWE SmackDown" and the PGA Tour.
"NBCUniversal delivers the biggest moments in sports, and the new NBC Sports Network gives pay-tv customers a seamless way to enjoy the wide range of sports in our portfolio, adding an important pillar in our linear and streaming strategy," said Matt Schnaars, President, Platform Distribution and Partnerships, NBCUniversal.
"NBCSN is a win across the board - driving value for fans and distributors who prefer an aggregated experience, league and conference partners seeking broad reach, and advertisers targeting engaged sports audiences - while also creating a new monetization path for some of our most premium programming and supporting NBCU's commitment to serving viewers wherever they watch, whether on Peacock, pay-tv, or both."
This revival of NBCSN will be significant for sports fans considering that the ongoing dispute between Disney/ESPN and Google/YouTube TV is about to enter its third weekend. Subscribers to the streaming platform will not have access to many college football games and Monday Night Football.
Bringing back this platform will not provide relief this weekend, nor will it provide access to SEC games for YouTube TV subscribers. However, it presents a path forward in some respects for sports-starved viewers.
