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Dick Ebersol: Versus Getting A New Name

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

NBC's Sports chairman admitted that the network previously known as Outdoor Life Network (OLN) could be renamed by the fall, with a name that "would prominently incorporate the NBC brand".
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/467027-Ebersol_Versus_Will_Get_New_Name.php

To be fair, one of our own posters saw this one coming after the NBC/Comcast merger.

So there's this, CBS Sports TV (the former CBS College Sports) and of course, Fox Sports. What are the odds ESPN becomes "The ABC Sports Channel"? ::)
 
DToTheJ said:
What are the odds ESPN becomes "The ABC Sports Channel"? ::)
Click to expand...

Not likely. The difference is that ESPN had made a name for itself before being purchased by ABC/Disney. We in fact saw ABC Sports go away. We now have ESPN on ABC when the broadcast network has sports.
 
@Bill W: Indeed, it's interesting how, after the "ABC Sports" name has been phased out by the more powerful ESPN branding, that CBS and now NBC are now vying to get their likenesses on sports networks (I guess Universal Sports doesn't count that much).

@Jay R: TV, network, whatever - the bottom line is that CBS flunked out of "college". ;D
 
DToTheJ said:
So there's this, CBS Sports TV (the former CBS College Sports) and of course, Fox Sports. What are the odds ESPN becomes "The ABC Sports Channel"? ::)
Click to expand...

None whatsoever. The ESPN brand is too entrenched, and was even before Disney bought it.

As far as what Versus will become, how about NBC SportsChannel? I know the original SportsChannel networks evolved into Fox Sports Net, but does News Corp. still own the SC trademark?
 
NBC Sportsource or NBC Sports Source both sound like great names, if they don't want to sound too much like the other guys with a name like NBC Sports channel or whatever...
(strictly a guess!)
 
@radiojomo: ... and Ted Williams can do the imaging! :D

@Yeziknoradio: I think at this point in time, they don't want it to sound too much like the aforementioned "Universal Sports".
 
Keep in mind the renaming will be coming from the people who brought us Syfy and Cloo.
 
Gridlock Joe said:
Keep in mind the renaming will be coming from the people who brought us Syfy and Cloo.
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I had the same thought...how about the Enbecee Sportz Chanel (Chanel since the network carries the Tour de France!)
 
Will this network be taking the place of Universal Sports in the few areas that get them over-the-air? (In my case: WVIT-TV 30-3 of New Britain/Hartford.)
 
KML-224 said:
Will this network be taking the place of Universal Sports in the few areas that get them over-the-air? (In my case: WVIT-TV 30-3 of New Britain/Hartford.)
Click to expand...

No, but I suspect some changes are coming for Universal Sports, although I like the fact that they carry a number of sports that are virtually ignored elsewhere, such as cycling and skiing. My wife enjoys their international ice skating coverage, which has vanished from other sports outlets.
 
Gridlock Joe said:
Keep in mind the renaming will be coming from the people who brought us Syfy and Cloo.
Click to expand...

I suppose I'll be ready when PukkNett premieres in July (it'll be useless five months of the year, but all I think with Versus is hockey, second tier MMA and Bill Dance).

And this brings up if they'll rebrand Golf Channel (they won't since they use it on NBC now) as Hoole, Clubz or ForeTV!. Or if they're going for incredibly lame puns and nostalgia value for the news geeks, GolfCenter Fore ;D.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
... I suspect some changes are coming for Universal Sports, although I like the fact that they carry a number of sports that are virtually ignored elsewhere, such as cycling and skiing. My wife enjoys their international ice skating coverage, which has vanished from other sports outlets.
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Too funny, because isn't that the same kinda programming that OLN was carrying before it was rebranded as the current Versus?
 
I can almost guarantee that the new big-city boss of Versus/NBC Sports Channel/whatever it will be called (Ebersol) will phase out all the hunting shows (there are three other networks on cable/satellite that primarily focus on that audience) and add more poker tournaments (which may not be a good idea now that most of the offshore gaming websites that are prime advertisers on those programs have been shut down)!
 
Eric Stein said:
I can almost guarantee that the new big-city boss of Versus/NBC Sports Channel/whatever it will be called (Ebersol) will phase out all the hunting shows (there are three other networks on cable/satellite that primarily focus on that audience) and add more poker tournaments (which may not be a good idea now that most of the offshore gaming websites that are prime advertisers on those programs have been shut down)!
Click to expand...

I don't know about those plans...I keep hearing that "Poker After Dark" is a dead man walking with Black Friday (like most of ESPN's current day poker programming) and NBC is just running out the string until they can shelve it, so they're unlikely to add more poker until things become less muddy. Also, the hunting programs, like those done on Sportsman and Outdoor, are in most cases 'time buys', where the producer pays Comcast to air their show so the network gets paid even if they only get under 1,000 viewers. I don't see them easily ditching those shows as FSN does the same thing on the weekends with their networks and does just fine, because they pay the bills when most people aren't watching.
 
Yeziknoradio said:
NBC Sportsource or NBC Sports Source both sound like great names, if they don't want to sound too much like the other guys with a name like NBC Sports channel or whatever...
(strictly a guess!)
Click to expand...

"Sportsource" for some reason does not sound like top-notch product.
 
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