NBC will launch a new nightly sports talk show block on Versus next week, part of an ongoing revamp of the cable network.
Starting Thursday, Versus (renamed NBC Sports Network in January) will televise NBC Sports Talk, a daily evening block of live studio programming.
The block will be anchored by an eponymous hour-long studio show airing Tuesday-Friday at 6 PM ET. Hosted by former Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic host Russ Thaler, NBC Sports Talk will cover general sports issues with a special emphasis on the leagues to which NBC has the rights — the NHL (on select Wednesdays) and NFL (on Fridays).
Mondays will consist of shows focused on specific sports, including College Football Talk (5 PM), Pro Football Talk (6 PM until the start of the NHL season) and NHL Live (6:30 PM once the NHL season begins).
On Fridays, the block will include a half-hour sports business show hosted by CNBC reporter Darren Rovell. Titled CNBC Sports Biz: Game On, the show will air at 7 PM ET.
This is not the first time Versus has aired daily studio programming. The network debuted The Daily Line last year, an short-lived studio show that lasted just over six months.
In other NBC/Comcast synergy, NBC will televise special ‘pregame’ editions of The Golf Channel’s Golf Central show live from coverage of this week’s The Tour Championship. The shows will air at 1 PM ET on Saturday and Sunday, just prior to NBC’s coverage of the event.
