TMC
January 2nd 12, 01:15 AM
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Versus-NBC-Sports-1041158.aspx
Dec 30, 2011 10:33 AM ET
by Rich Sands
The new year brings a new identity for Versus, the cable sports
network best known for hunting and fishing shows, the Tour de France
and the National Hockey League. Now a part of the NBC Universal empire
(following the merger with Comcast, which owned Versus), the channel
currently available in more than 75 million households becomes the
NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, January 2 and will undergo
an extreme makeover throughout the year. "It's going to be radically
different over time," says Jon Miller, the president of programming,
who is building what he calls "a full-service sports network," that
will include live events, news and talk shows and original
programming.
Versus, which was once known as the Outdoor Life Network, has slowly
transitioned into a player in the TV sports world. But some unusual
programming choices like The T. Ocho Show, a train wreck of a talk
show featuring flamboyant NFL stars Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco
undermined the network's credibility. "When we took over Versus, there
was a lot of programming on the network that we didn't think was
consistent with what NBC Sports was about," Miller says. "And so the
first thing we did was we jettisoned some properties like Wacked Out
Sports and T. Ocho and Sports Soup."
But overhauling the network hasn't only been about getting rid of
junk. "Right off the bat we made a long term deal to extend the NHL
for 10 years, we acquired broadcast and cable rights for Major League
Soccer and then we started to created some of our original
programming," Miller says. (As for the hunting and fishing shows,
"they will continue to have a role in this new channel going forward,"
Miller promises, "but they probably won't have a dominant as role as
they've had in the past.")
The NHL continues to be a major part of the schedule with games and
studio shows several nights a week, as well as the All-Star Game on
Jan. 29 and the Stanley Cup playoffs in the spring (along with NBC).
Also staying on board are Mountain West Conference basketball games
and the Tour de France.
As for new acquisitions, soccer will become a prominent part of the
line-up, starting with the championship game of the women's Olympic
qualifying tournament for the CONCACAF region (including North and
Central America) on Jan. 29. Other U.S. men's and women's national
team games are planned, and the first of the network's roughly 40 MLS
contests will be televised on March 11 (additional games will air on
NBC). "It has all the markings of a sport that is on the rise," Miller
says of MLS. "If you look at the attendance figures and the way it's
growing, we think it was perfect for us. We made an aggressive bid for
it. It's a good property that's sending a message to everybody that
they're here and they're here to stay."
This summer's London Olympics also provide the channel with a bounty
of programming, including U.S. team trials and pre-Olympic competition
in sports like swimming, diving, gymnastics, water polo, field hockey,
track and field and volleyball. During the Games the network will
cover a variety of events, including cycling, basketball and soccer.
Original programming initiatives began last fall with NBC Sports Talk
(weeknights at 6/5c). As the name implies, the emphasis is more on
talk and opinion. "There's a lot places where you can get
highlights, but here we tell you what to make of the news," Miller
says. Another show that premiered in the fall is CNBC Sports Biz
(Fridays at 7/6c), hosted by CNBC's manic, Twitter-obsessed reporter
Darren Rovell, who focuses on dollars and cents rather than X's and
O's. And in perhaps the network's biggest statement, Bob Costas will
host a monthly interview show, Costas Tonight, premiering in the
spring, and quarterly town hall specials, beginning with Costas
Tonight: Live From the Super Bowl, on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Dec 30, 2011 10:33 AM ET
by Rich Sands
The new year brings a new identity for Versus, the cable sports
network best known for hunting and fishing shows, the Tour de France
and the National Hockey League. Now a part of the NBC Universal empire
(following the merger with Comcast, which owned Versus), the channel
currently available in more than 75 million households becomes the
NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, January 2 and will undergo
an extreme makeover throughout the year. "It's going to be radically
different over time," says Jon Miller, the president of programming,
who is building what he calls "a full-service sports network," that
will include live events, news and talk shows and original
programming.
Versus, which was once known as the Outdoor Life Network, has slowly
transitioned into a player in the TV sports world. But some unusual
programming choices like The T. Ocho Show, a train wreck of a talk
show featuring flamboyant NFL stars Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco
undermined the network's credibility. "When we took over Versus, there
was a lot of programming on the network that we didn't think was
consistent with what NBC Sports was about," Miller says. "And so the
first thing we did was we jettisoned some properties like Wacked Out
Sports and T. Ocho and Sports Soup."
But overhauling the network hasn't only been about getting rid of
junk. "Right off the bat we made a long term deal to extend the NHL
for 10 years, we acquired broadcast and cable rights for Major League
Soccer and then we started to created some of our original
programming," Miller says. (As for the hunting and fishing shows,
"they will continue to have a role in this new channel going forward,"
Miller promises, "but they probably won't have a dominant as role as
they've had in the past.")
The NHL continues to be a major part of the schedule with games and
studio shows several nights a week, as well as the All-Star Game on
Jan. 29 and the Stanley Cup playoffs in the spring (along with NBC).
Also staying on board are Mountain West Conference basketball games
and the Tour de France.
As for new acquisitions, soccer will become a prominent part of the
line-up, starting with the championship game of the women's Olympic
qualifying tournament for the CONCACAF region (including North and
Central America) on Jan. 29. Other U.S. men's and women's national
team games are planned, and the first of the network's roughly 40 MLS
contests will be televised on March 11 (additional games will air on
NBC). "It has all the markings of a sport that is on the rise," Miller
says of MLS. "If you look at the attendance figures and the way it's
growing, we think it was perfect for us. We made an aggressive bid for
it. It's a good property that's sending a message to everybody that
they're here and they're here to stay."
This summer's London Olympics also provide the channel with a bounty
of programming, including U.S. team trials and pre-Olympic competition
in sports like swimming, diving, gymnastics, water polo, field hockey,
track and field and volleyball. During the Games the network will
cover a variety of events, including cycling, basketball and soccer.
Original programming initiatives began last fall with NBC Sports Talk
(weeknights at 6/5c). As the name implies, the emphasis is more on
talk and opinion. "There's a lot places where you can get
highlights, but here we tell you what to make of the news," Miller
says. Another show that premiered in the fall is CNBC Sports Biz
(Fridays at 7/6c), hosted by CNBC's manic, Twitter-obsessed reporter
Darren Rovell, who focuses on dollars and cents rather than X's and
O's. And in perhaps the network's biggest statement, Bob Costas will
host a monthly interview show, Costas Tonight, premiering in the
spring, and quarterly town hall specials, beginning with Costas
Tonight: Live From the Super Bowl, on Thursday, Feb. 2.