NBCUniversal is expanding its sports footprint with a new cable network launching Monday, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The channel, NBCSN, will primarily feature sports programming that is also available on Peacock, NBCU’s streaming platform. Its lineup will include NBA matchups, Big Ten football, golf coverage, and Premier League soccer. The Wall Street Journal originally revealed plans for the channel back in July.

YouTube TV — one of the largest streaming-based pay-TV services with an estimated 10 million subscribers — has already signed on to carry NBCSN. Comcast, NBCU’s parent company, will also add the network to its Xfinity lineup. NBCU expects to secure additional distribution agreements before the year concludes.

In addition, NBCUniversal is finalizing a new rights deal with Major League Baseball that will place MLB games on both the NBC broadcast network and Peacock beginning next season. Some of those telecasts are expected to run on NBCSN as well, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

The channel will also feature sports-focused talk shows currently produced for Peacock, including "The Dan Patrick Show," a three-hour weekday program available on radio and streaming.

Launching a cable network in today’s climate may appear surprising, given the industry’s shrinking subscriber base, declining advertising revenue, and growing emphasis on streaming. Some media companies are even considering cutting existing cable channels.

However, live sports remain one of the strongest drivers of traditional TV subscriptions.

“Starting a new linear network today is challenging unless it’s centered on sports,” said Matt Schnaars, head of distribution for NBCUniversal. “When you’re talking about the NBA, the Premier League, the Big Ten — that’s a powerful slate.”

NBCU is currently working to spin off the majority of its cable networks into a new entity called Versant, which will include channels such as CNBC, MSNBC, and USA Network. Bravo will stay under the NBCUniversal umbrella.

This marks NBCU’s second attempt at an all-sports cable network. The previous version of NBCSN was shut down in 2021 after its sports portfolio had dwindled to the point where a standalone channel was no longer feasible.

Since then, the company has aggressively rebuilt its sports rights library for Peacock and NBC, including a massive 11-year, $27 billion agreement for NBA broadcasting rights.

Schnaars noted that the relaunched NBCSN gives the company an additional outlet to generate revenue from its sports programming.

NBCUniversal also plans to position NBCSN within smaller, theme-based bundles that many pay-TV providers now offer.