NBCUniversal has partnered with the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee to launch an "Olympic Channel" TV network in the United States in the second half of 2017.

The network -- to complement the existing, worldwide online Olympic Channel that launched after the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janiero -- will offer Olympic-themed sports content on a 24-hour basis, representatives from the groups said during a press call Thursday morning. The channel is being branded as "Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA."

NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said the network will launch as part of the NBCUniversal channel portfolio as NBCU obtains new carriage deals or renewals through negotiations with pay-TV providers. He said AT&T, as part of a carriage renewal pact announced in September, has agreed to launch Olympic Channel on top U.S. satellite-TV provider DirecTV and that he's confident that the network will gain broad distribution over time because of interest in the programming.

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The partnership will also bring additional coverage of Olympic sports programs on other NBCU platforms including NBC, NBC Sports Network and NBC Sports Digital outlets, beginning this Saturday (Dec. 17) with the Team USA Winter Champions Series. Live events and original content, including on Team USA from the USOC, will staples on the channel year round, the partners said.

Zenkel said NBC's streaming plans for the linear channel would be on an authenticated basis, tied to pay-TV pacts. The Olympic Channel general manager Mark Parkman said that the network will have access to content across the globe.

“The evolution of the Olympic Channel in the United States is a significant milestone as we expand our distribution options across the globe in conjunction with our broadcast and National Olympic Committee Partners,” Parkman said in a release about the new partnership.

NBC Sports had previously been part of a collaboration on an Olympic sports channel -- Universal Sports Network -- in this country, partnering with InterMedia Partners, which was the majority owner. That effort failed to reach a critical mass of distribution and closed down in 2015. That channel had DirecTV and several other major pay-TV affiliates, including Dish Network and Time Warner Cable (which is now part of Charter Communications), but failed to land a carriage pact with leading cable provider Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal. With more of an ownership stake in this new channel (ownership splits in this partnership were not disclosed) Comcast might have more incentive to provide substantial distribution to this time around. Comcast also has committed $12 billion to own the U.S. rights to Olympic summer and winter games through 2032.

NBCU acquired some key Olympic content rights previously held by Universal Sports Network in 2015 soon after the network closed down. 

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal includes exclusive media rights formerly held by Universal Sports, including agreements with international and national governing bodies for Olympic-sport events in swimming, track and field, gymnastics, figure skating, skiing, cycling, triathlon and volleyball. Those rights will now be part of the NBC Sports Group portfolio.

NBC Sports Group will utilize NBCU’s family of networks, including NBCSN and Universal HD, to televise events. NBC Sports Live Extra -- NBC Sports’ live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs -- will live stream events, including some digital-only programming. Universal Sports Network will cease operations today.

“Acquiring these valuable media rights builds on our long-term investment in the Olympic Games through 2032, and reaffirms our commitment to Olympic sports and the stories of the great athletes who compete in them,” said NBC Olympics, president Gary Zenkel in a statement. “We now have a great opportunity to engage with the Olympic-sport audience year round and inspire the next generation of Olympic fans, which is a critical part of our ongoing Olympic strategy.”

Upcoming major events that NBC Sports will televise and stream include: the FIS Alpine World Cup season; the USA Swimming Arena Pro Swim Series; the IAAF World Indoor Championships; and the 2016 Boston Marathon.

NBCU announced in October that it would shutter Universal Sports Network on Nov. 16. At the time the programmer said that certain rights would go to its NBC Sports Network.

Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT-TV service for cord-cutters, is expanding its Sports Extra pack with the addition of Outside Television.

Sports Extra, which costs $5 per month on top of Sling TV’s core $20 per month package, also features ESPNU, beIN Sports, The SEC Network, ESPNNews, ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Buzzer Beater and ESPN Goal Line and Univision Deportes.

The addition of the channel, which features shows about outdoor sports and extreme activities such as surfing, kayaking, BASE jumping and climbing, comes about seven months after Dish Network and Outside Television announced a carriage deal, which paved the way for the lifestyle sports network to be added to Dish’s premium Multi-Sport Pack.

As Sling TV adds Outdoor Television to Sports Extra, it’s shedding one as well – Universal Sports Network, which is shutting down.

Taking full advantage of its digital distribution rights, Universal Sports Network has launched an exclusive over-the-top, pay-per-view offering that will stream all 48 matches of Rugby World Cup 2015 in high-definition. 

Universal Sports, through a partnership with multiscreen video platform specialist 1 Mainstream, said fans can buy the full tournament package for $199.99, or purchase individual matches for $27.95 each. Matches purchased online will be available for delayed or replay viewing following RWC 2015 until December 1, 2015.

The full tournament package will offer about 110 streaming hours of live matches in HD format, and will be offered on several platforms, including Web browsers (at RWC2015ppv.com), select connected TVs, iOS and Android smartphones, and Roku players and Roku TVs. Universal Sports is offering the OTT package in the U.S. and in U.S. territories.

The six-week tournament kicks off September 18 as host England takes on Fiji in London. The tournament final is slated to kick off Saturday, Oct. 31, at noon ET.

On the traditional broadcast side of the TV ledger, Universal Sports Network will air seven matches, and NBC will air two. Individual matches also will be available live on a residential TV pay-per-view basis from cable and satellite providers. Television PPV affiliates and availability will be announced in mid-August, according to USN, a partnership NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners LP.

“Universal Sports Network will offer more access points to watch the Rugby World Cup in the United States than ever before,” said Scott Brown, president of Universal Sports Network, in a statement. “This new over-the-top product enables us to deliver one of the biggest sporting events in the world across multiple platforms allowing fans to follow every minute of the action from England.”

Universal Sports Network acquired multi-platform media rights to the Rugby World Cup in a multi-year deal with World Rugby prior to the 2011 edition in New Zealand, which drew a cumulative global TV audience (207 territories) of about 3.7 billion.