USOC Looking To Launch Net Featuring Olympic Sports

USOC Net To Include Olympic Games Documentaries

The USOC is “moving forward with its plans to launch a 24-hour network devoted to Olympic sports by next spring or summer, and has been talking with potential partners over the last six months,” according to Mickle & Ourand of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL.  USOC execs are "optimistic" about securing a partner for the net.  The “most likely scenario involves the organization partnering with a programmer who can convert an existing channel that already has distribution in around 40 million homes into a new channel that it will call the U.S. Olympic Network.”  Other “less likely scenarios” have the USOC launching the net on its own or buying time on an existing net.  Those moves are “not as popular to USOC executives since they both would be expensive.”  USOC officials are “confident in the quality of programming, which will include a mix of live events, documentaries on Olympic moments and history, biographies of athletes, and coaching and instructional videos.”  The net will also be “complemented by a new Web site featuring additional coaching material and video content, as well as athlete pages, social networking and [NGB] Web sites” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/6 issue).