Fencing, Synchronized Swimming, Water Polo and Others Coming to USA TV

Great news for Olympic sports like fencing, rowing, cycling, swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo and others named in the recently posted press release from NBC.   NBC Universal Sports is expanding its coverage and just released information that they will be covering the world championships of many of the sports no usually seen except during Olympic years. 

How do you think this might impact fencing and other sports?

Press Release Below:

LOS ANGELES – February 17, 2008 – Universal Sports, the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming, announced today the addition of 20 new television markets, boosting its distribution to more than 45 million television households.  This announcement made by Claude Ruibal, CEO of Universal Sports and Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics, coincides with the beginning of the one-year countdown to the Vancouver Olympic Games.
 
This distribution announcement comes on the heels of a 100-plus hour broadcast by Universal Sports of the Alpine World Ski Championships where American Lindsey Vonn, who will lead the U.S. Ski Team at the 2010 Vancouver Games, won two gold medals.  This is the first of many important World Championships that Universal Sports will broadcast this year, in addition to many top National Championship events including the U.S. Olympic Trials in Curling on Feb. 27-28 where the U.S. Olympic Curling team for Vancouver will be determined.
 
Universal Sports, which originally launched as World Championship Sports Network in October 2006, has delivered over 16,000 hours of Olympic sports programming to U.S. consumers on television combined with an additional 20,000 plus hours of programming online.
 
“We are delivering on the pledge we made to our consumers and partners when we launched Universal Sports, and we are further solidifying Universal Sports as the key destination in the U.S. for major national and international competition in Olympic-related sports,” said Ruibal.  “Our partnership with NBC Universal has been key to helping us succeed in making incredible sports available to every consumer in the U.S.”
 
“Many of the stars of the Beijing Olympics will continue to excite and amaze as will the future stars of the Vancouver and London Games, and the platform to watch these incredible athletes compete as they build toward the next Games is Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com,” said Zenkel.  “This recent growth in the reach of our network, and the continued expansion we expect throughout 2009, will ensure that these great athletes and their stories can be followed all around the country.”
 
UNIVERSAL SPORTS WIDESPREAD AVAILABILITY: Universal Sports is now available in eight of the top 10 DMAs including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco and Washington, D.C  The latest expansion includes launches in the first quarter in Houston, Miami, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Indianapolis, Salt Lake City and Jacksonville.

2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS:  Universal Sports will offer exclusive broadcast coverage of Winter and Summer World Championship events highlighted by the following:

Winter Sports                                  Summer Sports
Alpine ski*                                        Swimming*
Freestyle ski                                    Diving, Water Polo
Nordic (Ski Jumping, Cross                Track & Field (Athletics)*
Country, Nordic Combined)                  Gymnastics*
Bobsled & Skeleton                         Cycling
Ice Hockey                                       Rowing
Snowboarding                                  Fencing
Luge                                                 Badminton
Speed Skating                                 Water Ski / Wakeboard
Curling                                             Canoe/Kayak
Karate                                              Synchronized Swimming
 
* Joint coverage with NBC Sports

For more information on current programming schedules and channel listings please visit www.UniversalSports.com