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NBCUniversal (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is looking to launch a sports cable network that could debut as early as the fall, which could also be streamed on its Peacock platform, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
The network would be offered to cable and satellite distributors as part of specialty packages of similar channels, the report from late Wednesday said.
Sources told WSJ that NBCUniversal wouldn’t make the channel available in the big, broad channel packages to protect Peacock; instead, it would only offer the channel through specific cable packages.
Discussions are still in early stages, and a final decision on the network has yet to be made, sources told WSJ.
The news comes amid parent Comcast’s move to pursue a tax-free spinoff of NBCU’s portfolio of TV channels and list them as a separate public company, Versant, as TV viewership via traditional cable continues to dwindle in the U.S. The spinoff is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
NBCU-owned Peacock also recently raised prices for its basic ad-supported plan due to the hefty investment being made in sports content—especially the NBA, coming on the platform in October, for which it is shelling out nearly $27B over 11 years. Peacock’s basic plan is currently the most expensive vs. rival platforms.