Versant, the new home for NBCUniversal cable networks being spun off from Comcast, will use USA Sports as the umbrella brand and division name for sports programming on USA Network and Golf Channel.
The company has rights to golf, stock car racing, Premier League soccer, the WWE, WNBA, college basketball and other sports. USA Sports plans to air a total of more than 10,000 hours of event, studio, and original sports programming on USA Network, Golf Channel, and CNBC in 2026.
Women’s sports will have a presence in the lineup, with about 1,000 hours of programming from the WNBA, LPGA Tour, college and amateur sports, and League One Volleyball.
Matt Hong, President of USA Sports, said the new name “leans into USA Network’s decades-long reputation as a top national sports and entertainment network.”
Starting in 1979, when it was establishing itself as one of the first mainstream cable TV networks, USA Network has carried the NBA, Major League Baseball, the Masters, the NHL, U.S. Open tennis, the Big East, and the ACC.
Golf Channel, which was founded in 1995, will keep “its own strong brand identity,” a press release emphasized, along with getting a “refreshed” network logo next year.
CNBC will continue to air some USA Sports weekend programming.
Along with its linear TV assets, Versant has a stable of digital and streaming businesses. That roster includes sports-oriented operations like tee-time reservation platform GolfNow; golf membership program GolfPass, which was co-founded by Rory McIlroy; and youth sports technology and video platform SportsEngine.
Versant operates all of the cable networks formerly under the NBCUniversal tent, except for Bravo, which is remaining a part of NBCU.
