NBCU, WCSN Create Universal Sports

By John Eggerton
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

NBC Universal is looking to put its stamp even deeper on the Olympic Games.

NBC Sports is teaming up with World Championship Sports Network to create Universal Sports.

NBC Sports bought a share of WCSN, which runs an Olympic-sports Web site, which it will jointly control with InterMedia Partners. It also gives NBC access to WCSN's on-demand TV platform.

The result will be the newly christened Universal Sports, which will add NBC's sports programming and production muscle to WCSN's online destination.

NBCU said the current WCSN management team, Claude Ruibal and Carlos Silva, will remain atop the company.

The two companies aren't waiting around to put their partnership in play. This Thursday, Universal Sports will present early round coverage of the Olympic diving trials.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.