Universal Sports
| Universal Sports | |
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| Launched | June 16, 2008 |
| Owned by | NBC Universal and InterMedia Partners |
| Slogan | The Athletes' Network |
| Sister channel(s) | NBC Sports |
| Website | http://www.universalsports.com |
Universal Sports is an American television channel that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding, and triathlon. The network, which was originally called World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), was co-founded in 2006 by Claude Ruibal, Chairman and CEO, and Tom Hipkins, Universal Sports board member, with the help of Carlos Silva, President and COO,[1] On June 16, 2008 NBC Universal joined with InterMedia Partners in a partnership, and the network was renamed Universal Sports, and branded with the NBC Peacock.[2]
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Availability
Universal Sports is distributed by:
- Over the air broadcast on a digital subchannel on all NBC owned and operated stations along with many affiliated and independent stations.
- Digital Cable channels.
- An online streaming video service.
See the chart below for markets and channels.
Programming
Universal Sports has carried over 1,000 live events and 7,000 hours of original event programming between television and the Internet.[1] They cover over 40 sports, including 50 World Championships, 180 World Cups and 50 Grand Prix Events annually.[1] These events range from Track & Field, Hockey, Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling, to Volleyball, Marathons, Karate, Speed Skating and Triathlon. [1] Universal Sports has long term broadcasting agreements with FINA, the International Swimming Federation, FIG, the International Gymnastics Federation, FIS, the International Ski Federation, UCI, the International Cycling Union, FISA, the International Rowing Federation, and IAAF, the International Association of Athletics Federation.[1] The network features Olympic stars such as Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, and Apolo Ohno as well as such up-and-coming athletes as Lindsey Vonn.
Universal Sports carried the 2008 Paralympic Games from Beijing from October 8 to November 19, 2008. On September 9, 2008, they also began the "Olympic Replay", rebroadcasting selected competitions from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The network will play a large role in NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, with its' primary focus on figure skating.
Universal Sports provides year round coverage of events that generally receive attention every few years. Through the television and Internet streaming, a fan can see how Olympic athletes compete between the games. They promote themselves as "the athlete's network",[1] and extend their coverage through blogs and interviews outside of competition.
Besides the sports coverage, Universal Sports broadcasts E/I programming in the form of episodes of Teen Kids News and AquaKids. The network also carries some news programming, airing a pre-recorded hour of Russia Today daily.
History
Universal Sports dates back to 2006, when WCSN was formed and covered the United States Track and Field Championships via streaming video. InterMedia Partners and NBC Universal joined together on June 16, 2008 and became Universal Sports through the partnership. The new channel took over the airspace formerly used by NBC's now defunct "NBC Weather Plus+" which was discontinued not long after NBC Universal purchased The Weather Channel.
Affiliates
References
- ^ a b c d e f About Universal Sports Retrieved 10/28/2008
- ^ NBC Universal, World Championship Sports Network Join Forces on Olympic Games Site Retrieved 9/1/08
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External links
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