US media company NBCUniversal has said the new Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA platform will launch on July 15, with its initial reach set to span more than 35 million homes in the United States.
The formation of the new US television network was first announced in December as part of a ground-breaking collaboration between the International Olympic Committee, US Olympic Committee and NBCU to create a comprehensive Olympic content and distribution partnership in the United States.
The partnership complements the Olympic Channel global digital platform, which was launched by the IOC following the closing ceremony of the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
NBCU said the new linear cable television channel will be available to most subscribers of pay-television operators Altice, AT&T DirecTV, Comcast, Spectrum and Verizon at launch. The linear channel will also be available at launch on streaming services including DirecTV Now, Fubo, Hulu, Sony PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV.
NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said: “The fact that the channel has been embraced by the most widely-distributed cable, satellite, and telco providers demonstrates the strength of the Olympic brand in the United States, and will allow fans to connect more closely than ever with the stories and successes of America’s favourite Olympic Sports athletes.”
The first month of programming on the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will be highlighted by extensive coverage of the 2017 World Swimming and Diving Championships from Budapest, Hungary, in July; as well as the International Association of Athletics Federations’ World Championships from London, England, and the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) Beach Volleyball World Championships from Vienna, Austria, both of which take place in August.