With NBCSN Set to Shutdown on Dec. 31, USA Network Will Expand Sports Programming in 2022

As announced earlier this year, NBCSN will cease operations at the end of 2021 and much of the sports programming will shift to USA Network. Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, USA Network broadens its slate with the addition of premium NBC Sports events, including coverage from the Premier League, NASCAR, INDYCAR, the Olympic Games, USGA and The R&A Golf Championships, college and Olympic sports, horse racing, cycling and more. In addition, CNBC, Peacock, and other linear platforms will also host a wide variety of live sports.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, NBCSN will display a slate to inform viewers about tune-in information. In addition, there will be extensive marketing and social media campaigns as well as content within telecasts to alert viewers about the situation. NBC Sports’ partners will also educate their fan bases about the change. Exact timing of the network’s decommissioning may vary based on distributors.

USA Network will kick off the 2022 sports calendar on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 7 a.m. ET with a New Year’s Day Premier League tripleheader, beginning with Arsenal hosting defending champion Manchester City.

“We are excited to transition the cable coverage of many of our premium sports events to USA Network, Peacock, and other widely-distributed NBCUniversal platforms, which will give us a significant boost in television homes and will put us in an even stronger position as we grow our business,” says Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports.

“USA has always been home to big, iconic characters – on reality shows like ‘Chrisley Knows Best,’ premium scripted dramas like ‘Chucky’ and ‘The Sinner,’ and of course the high-octane energy of our WWE personalities – and larger-than-life pro athletes will fit right in,” says Frances Berwick, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television & Streaming. “We expect this expansion of our live sports offering will both engage existing fans and bring in new communities to USA, further cementing the network as a top destination for the best and broadest entertainment in all of its many forms.”

During the recent Tokyo Olympics, USA Network televised live coverage of track & field, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, indoor volleyball and softball, and ranked as the #1 sports and entertainment cable network in primetime with an average of 1.6 million viewers. In September, the Manchester United-Newcastle match featuring the return of Cristiano Ronaldo ranked as the most-watched Premier League game on USA Network.

NBC Sports Programming on USA Network in 2022

• Atlantic 10 basketball
• Horse Racing
• IMSA
• INDYCAR: Two races
• NASCAR: Cup and Xfinity Series races
• Olympic sports
• Premier League
• The R&A – The Open, AIG Women’s Open: Early round and weekend lead-in coverage
• The Winter Olympics
• Tour de France
• USGA – U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open: Early round and weekend lead-in coverage

Many of these sports will continue to have programming on the NBC broadcast network. In addition, all linear coverage can be streamed via authentication on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. All PGA TOUR events remain exclusively on NBC or GOLF Channel.

Meanwhile Peacock will stream extensive live sports including Sunday Night Football, all Notre Dame football home games, Premier League, NASCAR, golf, and much more. In 2022, Peacock will continue to offer an array of live sports coverage including Super Bowl LVI and Olympic competition. Additional sports content will be presented across widely-distributed linear and digital platforms in the NBCUniversal portfolio, including CNBC, E!, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.