NBCUniversal shuts down its sports cable channel NBCSN at the end of the year and migrates many of the programs to its sister general entertainment network USA, the company said.
The premium properties on NBCSN are the National Hockey League and Nascar Motor Racing, both of which will transition to the USA Network this year. Some content will remain on both channels until NBCSN officially turns off the lights. NBCUniversal informed staff members about the plan in a memo from the company on Friday afternoon.
“We are absolutely more committed than ever to living sports as a business, and broadcasting such a large platform as USA Network of our major sports content is ideal for our partners, distributors, viewers and advertisers,” he said. NBC Sports Group said. Chairman Pete Bevacqua.
NBCUniversal – a unit of Comcast Corp. – hope to solve two problems with one step by posting a high sport on USA Network: get rid of an underperforming asset and strengthen an already powerful one. The Premier Soccer League will also have matches in the USA.
NBCSN has struggled to compete against bigger competitors like Walt Disney Co. ‘s ESPN and Fox Corp’s Fox Sports cable network. Although it has a large national reach, the ratings are pale in comparison to its competition. Fox Corp. and Wall Street Journal, parent News Corp., have joint ownership.