Versus Rebranded NBC Sports Network

Parent Comcast tinkers with image as it preps for run at ESPN

Months after Dick Ebersol revealed plans to discard the Versus brand, NBC Sports Group is preparing a Viking funeral for it.

Always something of an odd fit for the aspiring sports network—the Middle English borrowing was meant to evoke the spirit of competition without explicitly incorporating the word “sports”—Versus will become the NBC Sports Network on Jan. 2, 2012.

First introduced in September 2006 by then-president Gavin Harvey, Versus succeeded the short-lived OLN, shorthand for Outdoor Life Network.

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Spring Special

Save 30% Off an ADWEEK Subscription Today!

View Your Options

Already a member? Sign in