NBCUniversal Weighs Fall Launch of Cable Channel to Simulcast Peacock Sports

NBCUniversal is considering the launch of a dedicated U.S. sports cable channel that would simulcast many of the live events currently available on its Peacock streaming service, according to people familiar with the discussions cited by the Wall Street Journal. The network, which could debut as soon as the coming fall, is expected to feature a substantial slate of NBA games that NBCU recently secured in a new rights package, alongside other Peacock-exclusive sports programming. Distribution would be narrower than legacy outlets such as ESPN, with carriage likely limited to sports-tier packages rather than basic cable. Sources said not every Peacock event would automatically appear on the linear channel, but the move is aimed at expanding reach for marquee games while preserving Peacock’s streaming strategy. NBCU declined to comment on the talks.