NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus said the network is adding live weeknight studio shows starting Sept. 8 in an effort to be “relevant each day.”
“If we’re going to be important to sports fans, we have to be relevant each day,” he said.
This is the latest development following the merger of NBC and Comcast, and the new weekly sports programs will tap talent across those two companies. Former Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic anchor Russ Thaler will host “NBC SportsTalk” from 6-7 p.m. on Versus. (Versus will be rebranded as NBC Sports Network on Jan.2). On Mondays and Fridays, the focus will be on football and will involve Mike Florio, editor of ProFootballTalk.com. The 6-7 time slot runs against SportsCenter on ESPN.
Business writer Darren Rovell of CNBC is also hosting a new show that will air Fridays at 7 p.m.
“The live nightly shows also give us the opportunity to tap into our stable of top talent across all of our platforms to provide a unique perspective for sports fans,” said Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC Sports and Versus.
September is arguably the best sports month of the year, so it’s as good a time as any to launch new sports shows.