What is dead may never die, even cable sports networks like NBCSN.
A dizzying timeline of twists and turns and corporate splits has led to the resurrection of NBC’s cable sports network, NBCSN. Originally a successor to Versus and the Outdoor Life Network before it, NBCSN fully came into being at the beginning of 2012. It featured a number of NBC Sports properties like the Olympics, NHL, EPL, and shows like The Dan Patrick Show.
Fast forward to the end of the 2010s and the collapse of the cable ecosystem and the rise of streaming led NBC to shut down the network in 2021 as most of its key sports properties not on the main broadcast network had shifted to Peacock.
But midway through the 2020s, NBC recently announced that they were bringing NBCSN back from the dead after the spinoff of their cable networks into the new company Versant and the acquisition of even more sports properties like the NBA and MLB rights deals.
And the relaunch is happening sooner than you might think. NBCSN will turn the lights back on this coming Monday, November 17. According to a network press release, the network will first be available to YouTube TV subscribers (which is fascinating in the midst of their struggle with ESPN and Disney) and then for Xfinity subs. The media company says that it will become available to other platforms “at a later date” which probably means some side deals have to be negotiated for carriage.
NBC has also listed the sports and shows that will be showcased on the new NBCSN with a stacked lineup that includes NBA, WNBA and MLB playoff games, the return of the EPL, the acclaimed Gold Zone Olympic whiparound coverage, golf majors, college football and basketball, and shows including The Dan Patrick Show and The Dan Le Batard Show.
- Monday Night NBA games and NBA Playoffs
- Expected to include dozens of MLB regular-season and select post-season games in a soon-to-be-announced agreement
- Premier League soccer matches
- Gold Zone hosted by Scott Hanson (daily whip-around coverage for Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games in February 2026)
- WNBA Regular Season and Playoff games
- Big Ten and Notre Dame Football
- Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball
- Golf Majors (includes select coverage of U.S. Open and The Open Championship)
- Cycling (Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes; Vuelta a España, and more)
- Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks undercard races
- Olympic Sports (e.g., Figure Skating, Ski & Snowboard, Gymnastics, Swimming, Track & Field)
- Popular shows, including PFT Live, The Dan Patrick Show, The Dan Le Batard Show, and Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry
Two things immediately spring to mind with the announcement of this lineup. First is going to be the split between NBCSN and the new USA Sports from spinoff company Versant on who gets what cable sports rights. At the moment, EPL games and other NBC Sports properties are airing on USA. What will continue airing on USA post spin-off and what will be exclusive to NBCSN? Already USA Sports has just this morning announced their own deal with the new-look Pac 12.
The second is what NBCSN’s daily lineup will look like. The Dan Patrick Show was a part of the original NBCSN lineup back in the day and Patrick was a longtime NBC host at Football Night in America and the Olympics, so his return makes sense. Adding Dan Le Batard could give NBC another big name in the sports world that could help fill daytime programming hours with sports talk and provide reasonable competition to ESPN and FS1. At the very least, we’ll have to see what their ratings look like in comparison to the numbers of Wake Up Barstool.
We’ve been living in a sports world that is rapidly being transformed in the digital and streaming revolution. And although it looked like cable would completely fall by the wayside, it looks like it’s going to be some part of the media ecosystem going forward. NBC will be hoping that they can keep all of their network, cable, and streaming plates spinning beginning next week. And that they can all be profitable.
About Matt Yoder