NBCUniversal will bring back NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) on Monday, four years after the channel was shut down, the company announced Thursday.
The revived network will roll out exclusively on YouTube TV, giving the streaming platform a high-profile sports option while its dispute with Disney keeps ESPN and ABC off roughly 10 million subscriber screens.
NBCSN’s lineup will include live National Basketball Association games under the league’s new media rights package with NBC/Peacock, ESPN/ABC and Amazon. The return marks NBC’s first regular NBA carriage since the early 2000s and coincides with the start of the league’s new national-television schedule.
Beyond basketball, NBCSN plans to air Premier League soccer, Big Ten football, WNBA matchups and multiple golf majors. Major League Baseball content is expected to follow once a separate deal is finalized. Olympic programming is slated for 2026, featuring a daily “Gold Zone” show during the Winter Games.
Daily studio offerings will include “PFT Live,” “The Dan Patrick Show,” “The Dan Le Batard Show” and fantasy-football coverage hosted by Matthew Berry.
The original NBCSN shut down in 2021, with most of its events moving to USA Network, CNBC and Peacock. The second iteration is built around live sports to bolster YouTube TV as its carriage standoff with Disney drags on. Analysts estimate the blackout is costing Disney about $30 million each week. “We’re ready to go as long as they want to,” Disney chief financial officer Hugh Johnston said on CNBC.
Source: Hoops Wire
