It was 1991 when NBC first acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast Notre Dame games on network TV, which made a lot of sense considering the Irish were actually a program of some consequence in the world of college football at the time. Not so much anymore, though they can still be counted on as a decent ratings draw.↵
Notre Dame Games Could Go To Versus If Comcast Buys NBC
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↵But now with Comcast's possible purchase of NBC, that exclusive relationship could be coming to an end. SportsBusiness Journal notes that some of Notre Dame's games would be moved to Versus, or at the very least, rebroadcasts of their games.↵
↵↵⇥But Comcast also has its sights set on Notre Dame football. Sources said NBC’s deal with the Fighting Irish has a clause that allows a certain number of games to migrate to cable. Versus would be a natural place to house those games.↵⇥↵⇥Versus also could have the right to re-air NBC’s Notre Dame games. And it could roll out pre- and postgame shows around them. In June 2008, NBC signed a five-year extension for Notre Dame’s home football games, a deal that extends through the 2015 season.↵⇥
↵↵It would be a minor coup for a channel sorely in need of any sort of attention at the moment. An obviously bigger shot in the arm would be a partnership on “Sunday Night Football,” though that’s reported to be staying an exclusive for NBC. With Versus and NBC splitting national hockey coverage, however, it will be an interesting dynamic to see how they will complement one another.↵
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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