NBCUniversal to Shut Down Olympic Channel as Streaming Takes Over

NBCUniversal announced on Friday that it will shut down the Olympic Channel on September 30.

This is the second NBC-owned sports network to sunset in as many years: at the end of 2021, the company also pulled the plug on NBCSN, moving many of its live events to USA Network and streaming service Peacock.

"In order to best reach our target audiences, we are reevaluating our programming distribution strategy regarding the content that currently airs on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA with our partners at the IOC and USOPC," said a spokesperson for NBCUniversal. "We will be announcing our exciting new plans for Olympic content in the fall."

NBCUniversal has been airing the Olympic games in the U.S. since 2000 and has a long-term rights deal to continue airing the games through 2032. The Olympic Channel first launched in 2017, featuring live events from the Olympic games, but in recent years, the availability of the channel has decreased as customers have canceled their cable bundles and embraced streaming.

Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.