NBC Universal Axing NBC Sports Network -- Simply Rearranging The Chairs On The Titanic -- January 23, 2012

This gets huge headlines but in the big scheme of things it is simply moving chairs around on the Titantic.

I have no idea how many networks NBC Universal has but it now has one less. 

NBC Universal will shut down its "sports network," NBCSN, by the end of the year (2021).

NBCSN will move its sports broadcasts to other NBC-owned networks. 

For example, the NHL will move its NBCSN broadcasts to NBC-owned USA Network. 

From the NY Post

"The move is in line with the current media trend of consolidating cable channels, while NBC appears to also be working on growing its Peacock streaming service and bolstering the programming schedule for other NBC properties like USA."

 NBCSN is owned and operated by NBC Universal which in turn is a subsidiary of Comcast. 

I doubt viewers will notice much difference, and I assume sports franchises will be seamlessly moved over to Peacock and other NBC Universal entities. 

For Comcast shareholders this should come as welcome news. 

Most affected will likely be Stamford, CT, where NBCSN  is headquartered at 1 Blachley Road. The company employs 900 folks most of whom, I assume, live in Stamford. Stamford is just across the state line northeast of NY / NYC, about an hour from Manhattan (depending on traffic) on I-95; population, 130,000.

One can get a feeling for how big this company was (900 employees) comparing it to:

• MSNBC: 650 employees
• NBC News: 741
• CBS News: 574

From what little I know, video "news" is very, very inexpensive to obtain whereas sports is very, very expensive.

Right now, NBCSN is supported by ads / commercials.

Peacock, on the other hand, has three levels:

• Peacock Free: limited library, full of ads; probably worse than legacy networks
• Peacock Premium: subscription model; full library; ads "limited"
• Peacock Premium Plus: subscription model; full library; no ads;

At the end of the day, my takeaways:

• rearrangement of the chairs on the Titanic;
• great news for Comcast shareholders;
• how much it has to do with sports in general is hard to say, but obviously, it appears "sports" is not seen as lucrative as non-sports programming;
• for example, it should be noted that Apple TV seems to favor big-name drama / original series programs; I'm not aware of any significant sports programming on Apple TV; 
• could be wrong; I have a subscription to Apple TV but never watch it; by the way, the monthly fee I pay to Apple for Apple TV is reimbursed fully each month ever since I signed up

My not-ready-for-prime-time reply to the reader who alerted me to the story:

After looking at this NBC Sports Network story, I think it's mostly a rearrangement of chairs on the Titanic.

All things being equal, this should be good news for Comcast shareholders.

http://themilliondollarway.blogspot.com/2021/01/nbc-universal-axing-nbc-sports-network.html

But if televised "sports" was growing in the US, there would be an announcement that NBC Sports Network was going or even divide into NBCSN1 and NBCSN2 just like ESPN1 and EPSN2.

At the end of the day, it looks like market share is going to Disney / ABC / ESPN and away from NBC.

The 2020ne Japan Olympics and emphasis on social justice in US professional sports were the final nails in the NBCSN coffin.

On another note, it will be interesting how well MSNBC will do with Trump out of the picture. I think we'll be seeing some cuts to MSNBC once the Trump story is finally dead six months from now.