US sports broadcaster Universal Sports Network, a subsidiary of the NBC network, has agreed a multi-year rights deal with the USA Wrestling organisation.
The agreement marks the first multi-event network television agreement for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for Olympic wrestling.
Under the terms of the deal, Universal Sports has secured exclusive television rights to the Freestyle World Cup, U.S. Open, U.S. World Team Trials and additional USA Wrestling programming including an ongoing news and highlights show.
The announcement comes in advance of the 2014 Freestyle Wrestling World Cup, the annual international dual meet championships, which will air on a tape-delayed basis on Universal Sports Network on March 24.
USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender said: “This is a foundational piece in moving wrestling to a more relevant level within the American sports community. We see this as just a beginning, and something we can look back on years from now as a historic moment in the expansion of our sport.”