History of NBC Sports

Formerly "a service of NBC News" (it was spun off as a standalone operating unit by 1977), it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others.

[1] That year, W2XBS would also televise a boxing match between former heavyweight champion Max Baer and Lou Nova at Madison Square Garden,[2] a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers from Ebbets Field,[3] and a professional football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League.

After the end of World War II, sporting events were staples of the nascent NBC television network.

As part of the merger, the two leagues' champions would play a World Championship Game, eventually renamed the Super Bowl.

Rather than award the broadcast rights of the game to either CBS or NBC, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle decided to have both networks televise it.

NBC commentators Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman called the game, while CBS produced the telecast that aired on both networks.

In addition, the network requested that players wear names on the backs of their jerseys for the NBC Hockey Game of the Week.

In 1979, NBC televised the NCAA Championship that pitted future NBA rivals Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Ebersol's early tenure at NBC Sports was highlighted by a string of sports-property acquisitions and renewals, including the Olympic Games, NFL, NBA and Notre Dame football.

In 1991, NBC obtained the rights to Notre Dame home games in a $38 million deal, the first time an individual college football team had its own broadcast agreement.

It was during this period, with the broadcast rights of the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, and the Olympics, that NBC adopted the mantle of "America’s Sports Leader."

During the 1995-96 television season, for the only time in history, the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals and Summer Olympics were telecast by the same network.

CBS had previously lost the National Football Conference (NFC) rights to upstart network Fox, and was by that point struggling in the ratings.

In 2002, it was additionally outbid by ESPN and ABC for the NBA's new broadcast contract, ending the league's twelve-year run on NBC.

In 2001, NBC partnered with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to establish the XFL – a new football league which introduced modified rules and debuted to tremendous, but short-lived fanfare, only lasting one season (NBC shared broadcast rights to the league's games, which were mainly held on Saturday nights, with UPN).

Additionally in 2008, NBC broadcast the first Winter Classic, an outdoor NHL game played on New Year's Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium, a success in attendance and television ratings.

[15] The merger also helped influence an extension of NBC Sports' contract with the NHL; the 10-year deal – valued at close to $2 billion, unified the cable and broadcast television rights to the league and introduced a new "Black Friday" Thanksgiving Showdown game on NBC, along with national coverage for every game in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

[16] On July 3, 2011, ESPN obtained the exclusive broadcast rights to Wimbledon in a 12-year deal, ending NBC's television relationship with The Championships after 42 years.

[25] Only Football Night in America remained in New York City, at Studio 8G in Rockefeller Center, until September 7, 2014, when production of that program also moved to Stamford.

NBC's first live match was on March 12, 2016, when London Irish hosted Saracens at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

[citation needed] On March 21, 2018, it was announced that NBC Sports would renew its contract with the IndyCar Series (continuing a relationship with NBCSN which began in 2009 as Versus),[35] through 2021, and acquire the broadcast television rights previously held by ABC.

As with Super Bowl LII, which fell prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics, the network is expected to maximize its advertising revenue by encouraging sponsors to buy time for both events.

[41] On June 29, 2020, Fox sold the last seven years of its contract to air USGA tournaments to NBC, regaining rights to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2015.

[42][43] In January 2021, it was reported that NBCUniversal planned to shut down NBCSN by the end of the year; an internal memo cited increased competition from streaming services and the other mainstream sports networks as reasoning.

[44][45] The channel was officially shut down on December 31, 2021;[46] its remaining programming rights were moved to other NBCUniversal platforms, particularly USA Network and Peacock.

[54][55] On August 18, 2022, NBC Sports announced a seven-year deal to carry Big Ten Conference college athletics across its platforms beginning in the 2023–24 academic season.

Most notably, Peacock exclusively streamed the Miami Dolphins–Kansas City Chiefs wild card playoff game during the 2023 season.

[64] On June 27, 2024, NBC Sports and the Big East Conference announced a six-year deal to begin in the 2025–26 academic year.

NBC will also carry a doubleheader on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, coverage of All-Star Weekend, and a slate of playoff games (including six conference finals over the length of the agreement).