NBC continues to bolster its Olympic sports coverage.
The Snow League, a new snowsports circuit spearheaded by snowboarding legend Shaun White, has reached a multi-year media rights agreement with NBC and Peacock. The league is set to debut in March for a live competition in Aspen, Colorado.
Per the announcement, Peacock will air the four scheduled events for the league’s inaugural season live, while NBC will present encore presentations on its broadcast channel. Exact broadcast times will be announced at a later date.
The circuit will include both male and female athletes and heavily feature the halfpipe event, one of the biggest draws during the Winter Olympics.
“I’m so excited about this partnership for The Snow League with NBC Sports,” said White in a press release. “This collaboration will showcase the incredible talent in snowboarding and freeskiing and bring the thrill of the competition to a whole new level. We hope to inspire the next generation of athletes, and there is no better platform to help showcase our athletes and their stories than NBC Sports.”
“Shaun White is a true icon and his vision for The Snow League has us excited for this next evolution in our long-time partnership,” said Joe Gesue, Senior Vice President, NBC Olympics & Paralympics Programming & Executive Editor. “This innovative new venture will showcase top snowboarding and freeskiing athletes at iconic venues around the world, giving world-class competitors a much-deserved spotlight and help us all build momentum heading into what promises to be a magical 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.”
The Snow League first announced its launch in June and is backed by $4.5 million in institutional investment. Only the league’s first event in Aspen has been announced, with details pending on the three subsequent events. According to Sports Business Journal, the league also has plans to sell media rights internationally.
For NBC, the addition of the property makes sense in the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Outside of the X Games, which air on ESPN, there is little in the way of snowsports found on linear television.
NBC has long highlighted Olympic sports outside of the quadrennial event. The network holds rights to gymnastics, swimming, track and field, and figure skating; keeping these sports on television in between Olympic cycles.
With Shaun White — likely the most recognizable snowsports athlete in the United States — at the helm, NBC has itself a built-in marketing apparatus for the league.
While it’s unlikely snowsports will find itself to be a major draw outside of the Winter Olympics, there’s certainly an audience to be had for a handful of competitions each year. The Snow League seems like a good bet to garner some fan interest, and start the brand building process for a new generation of snowboarders and skiers as NBC looks toward 2026.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.