Региональные спортивные сети NBC Sports

Group of regional sports networks in the United States

NBC Sports Regional Networks is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks in the United States that are primarily owned and operated by the NBCUniversal division of the cable television company Comcast. The networks were originally established as Comcast SportsNet (CSN), a unit of Comcast's cable television business, beginning with a network in Philadelphia which launched in 1997. Their operations were aligned with the national NBC Sports division following the 2011 acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast. NBC Sports Regional Networks' business and master control operations are based in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The group operates seven regional networks; Comcast also has a partial ownership interest in SportsNet New York, which is co owned with Charter Communications and the New York Mets. Each of the networks carries regional broadcasts of sporting events from various professional, collegiate and high school sports teams (with broadcasts typically exclusive to each individual network, although some are shown on more than one network within a particular team's designated market area), along with regional and national sports discussion, documentary and analysis programs. After their realignment with NBC Sports, the networks initially continued to operate primarily under the Comcast SportsNet name. Although Comcast originally considered dropping its name from the networks in favor of NBC Sports following the merger, they still operated under the CSN brand for at least six more years. The group's two networks in California were then re branded under the NBC Sports brand in April 2017, while the remaining networks were renamed on October 2, 2017.

The origins of Comcast SportsNet are traced to Comcast's March 19, 1996 purchase of a 66% interest in Spectacor and its primary assets – the Philadelphia Flyers, The Spectrum and the then recently completed CoreStates Center – for $240 million and the assumption of a collective $170 million in debt; the new Comcast Spectacor (which appointed the company's previous majority owner, Edward M. Snider, as its chairman) also immediately purchased a 66% interest in the Philadelphia 76ers. Immediately after the purchase was announced, there was speculation that Comcast would let Spectacor's television contracts with two local premium services that had long been carrying their games – PRISM (which carried movies and specials, in addition to sports events) and the all sports network SportsChannel Philadelphia (both owned by Rainbow Media) – run out and create a sports network of its own, buy the existing networks or reach a complex deal with Rainbow to have PRISM and SportsChannel Philadelphia retain the broadcast rights to the 76ers and Flyers. Comcast immediately approached the Philadelphia Phillies – whose contract with PRISM and Sports Channel Philadelphia ended after the 1997 season – about entering into a broadcast deal, indicating it would launch an RSN. on April 25, 1996, Comcast Spectacor formally announced plans to create a new Philadelphia centric basic cable channel, which would carry sports events from the Flyers (whose contract with PRISM and SportsChannel was set to end that fall and was extended by one year on October 4, 1996, the day before its season home opener, after strained contract negotiations) and the Phillies. On July 21, 1997, Comcast acquired the local television rights to the Philadelphia 76ers, with the team opting out of its contract with PRISM and SportsChannel that was set to run until the 1999–2000 season. The launch of the new network, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, effectively shuttered PRISM and SportsChannel Philadelphia when it launched on October 1, 1997, with the network directly replacing the latter on Philadelphia area local cable systems.

Channel Region served Team rights Formerly operated as Tenure with CSN Notes Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina Atlanta Dream (WNBA)Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference sports (NCAA)Atlanta Braves (MLB; WPCH TV simulcast) Sun Belt Network (1999–2004) 1999–2014 Launched as a joint venture with Charter Communications; available only on cable providers, CSS primarily carried collegiate and high school sporting events (especially the Southeastern Conference, though few actual live SEC football or basketball games were carried by the network), and it was de facto superseded by ESPN's SEC Network. Although it never used the Comcast SportsNet brand, CSS was treated as a sister network to the CSN outlets. Comcast SportsNet Houston Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico Houston Rockets (NBA)Houston Astros (MLB)Houston Dynamo (MLS)regional college football and basketball 2012–2014 DirecTV and AT&T acquired Comcast SportsNet Houston in November 2014, rebranding it as part of DirecTV's Root Sports group as Root Sports Southwest (Later renamed as AT&T SportsNet Southwest in July 2017); the network reached 40% of cable television homes in the Houston market prior to the network's bankruptcy and sale. Comcast Sports Southwest Houston area Select games from Sun Belt Conference, Southeastern Conference, and Conference USA (particularly those of the University of Houston and Rice University; all NCAA) 2009–2012 The network shut down in October 2012, following the launch of Comcast SportsNet Houston. The network carried events from the Houston Cougars and Rice Owls as well as Houston area high school sports. MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.) National (based in Denver, Colorado) Air Force Falcons (NCAA)Boise State Broncos (NCAA)Colorado State Rams (NCAA)New Mexico Lobos (NCAA)SDSU Aztecs (NCAA)TCU Horned Frogs (NCAA)UNLV Rebels (NCAA)Wyoming Cowboys (NCAA) 2006–2012 Launched on September 1, 2006, as a joint venture between the Mountain West Conference, CBS Sports (through the former CSTV) and Comcast. The network was shut down on June 1, 2012, as a result of the Mountain West Conference's team realignment. NBC Sports NorthwestWashingtonOregonAlaskaPortland Trail Blazers (NBA)Portland Winterhawks (WHL)Vancouver Canucks (NHL)Tacoma Rainiers (PCL)University of Oregon Ducks sports (NCAA) Comcast SportsNet Northwest2007–2021Created in conjunction with the Trail Blazers after the team was unable to reach an agreement to keep its game broadcasts on FSN Northwest (now Root Sports Northwest). The network was available mainly on Comcast systems, and was not carried by Dish Network nor DirecTV. Canby Telcom accused Comcast of being inflexible in carriage negotiations for the network pertaining to its subscriber rates, with The Oregonian reporting that CSN Northwest was seeking a rate of $2 per month per subscriber, more than what was being paid to the established FSN Northwest. The network shut down at the end of the broadcast day on September 30, 2021. The Comcast Network Mid Atlantic statessouthern Pennsylvania Eastern League baseballColonial Athletic Association football (NCAA) CN8 (1996–2009) 1996–2017 Based in Philadelphia and the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The networks were carried on most Comcast systems along the East Coast (from Philadelphia to Richmond, Virginia), and also carried on other cable providers. The networks served primarily as local news/information channels, but carried some regional sports programming, including Eastern League baseball and CAA football, as well as select Phillies games within that team's designated market. Originally expanded into the Boston market, the New England operations ceased in 2009. The Philadelphia and Washington networks were replaced with Plus feeds of NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Washington, respectively. NBC Sports Washington MarylandVirginiaWashington, D. C. southern Pennsylvaniaeastern West Virginiasouthern DelawareHampton RoadsOuter Banks Washington Capitals (NHL)Washington Wizards (NBA)Washington Commanders (NFL)Washington Mystics (WNBA) Chesapeake Bayhawks (MLL)Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball (NCAA)Colonial Athletic Association sports (NCAA) Home Team Sports (1984–2001)Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic (2001–2017) 2001–2023 Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic carried the Baltimore Orioles until 2006, when it lost the rights to the team owned Mid Atlantic Sports Network. Monumental Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the Wizards and Capitals, which has held a minority equity interest in the network since 2016, acquired the network outright in September 2022. The network rebranded as the Monumental Sports Network on September 20, 2023.

New England Cable News, a regional news channel owned by Comcast, was operated as a part of Comcast Sports Group and CSN prior to Comcast's purchase of NBC Universal. In July 2013, as part of a corporate reorganization, NECN had its operations transferred to NBC Owned Television Stations (the unit of NBCUniversal Television Group responsible for running NBC and Telemundo's owned and operated stations), and eventually became the journalistic foundation of NBC's new Boston O&O, WBTS LD (since relocated to WBTS CD), in January 2017. Comcast also owned Comcast Local (CL), a Detroit based sports network that was distributed throughout Michigan and central Indiana. The network provided coverage of local collegiate and high school sports events, as well as minor league sports throughout its broadcast area. Comcast Local ceased operations in February 2008, as every major professional or college team in the region had its programming tied to FSN Detroit and/or the Big Ten Network.

Each regional channel (and in some cases, their alternate feed) has its own separate high definition feed, with their own set schedules of programming – including live sports events as well as locally produced and NBC Sports distributed national programs and live studio shows – available in HD. NBC Sports Northwest currently does not maintain a high definition simulcast in the Seattle market.

Most NBC Sports Regional Networks maintain alternate (or overflow) feeds under the Plus brand (with the network's regional name suffixed preceding the "Plus" title) for the broadcast of two or more events involving teams the respective network holds the broadcast rights to carry. NBC Sports Philadelphia maintains a different arrangement, using sister channel NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus to serve as a de facto overflow network in the event that two local games were scheduled to air simultaneously on NBCS Philadelphia.

Each of the NBC Sports regional network outlets have acquired the play by play broadcast rights to major sports teams in their regional market (exempting NFL regular season or playoff games, since the league's contracts require all games to be aired on broadcast television in each participating team's local markets). In addition to local play by play coverage, the NBC Sports networks also produce and broadcast pre game and post game shows, and broadcasts weekly "magazine" shows centered on the teams that maintain rights with the individual network. In some markets, NBC Sports competes directly with other regional sports networks for the broadcast rights to team specific programming.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series & NASCAR Xfinity Series live practice & qualifying coverage when NBCSN & CNBC are unable to broadcast due to other programming. Started in 2015.