Report: NBC Sports, USA, Golf Channel expected to keep U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open

AI-assisted summary
• The U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open are likely to remain on NBCUniversal networks.
• The current contract expires in 2026, but negotiations for an extension are underway.
• Netflix, ESPN, CBS, and Warner Bros. Discovery also expressed interest in the media rights.
• The potential deal is expected to be worth around $1 billion, similar to the previous Fox Sports agreement.

Despite a serious bid from Netflix, it appears the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will stay on the same group of TV networks, according to reporting done by John Ourand of Puck.

The U.S. Golf Association's contract with NBCUniversal runs through Dec. 31, 2026, but the two sides are working to re-sign for a longer term, which would keep the two major championships (among others) on NBC, USA Network and the Golf Channel.

Back in 2020, the USGA moved its media rights from Fox Sports to NBCUniversal, a move that ended a 12-year deal with Fox Sports worth about $1 billion.

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the USGA to move the dates of the U.S. Open from June to September, Fox Sports struggled to find the broadcast hours needed for the championship, USGA officials noted, given their additional commitments to the NFL, MLB and college football. Talks that began looking into how Fox Sports and NBC/Golf Channel might work together ultimately ended in NBC taking over entirely.

But with the contract due to expire at the end of next year, and NBC Universal taking a different look, talks are on to extend the deal with the same partners.

According to a story from CNBC back in May, Comcast spun off most of its cable network stations into a new company named Versant.

Versant, which had been called SpinCo until a permanent name was chosen, will own cable networks including USA, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel. It will also house digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass and SportsEngine.

The rest of Comcast’s NBCUniversal portfolio, including the broadcast network, Peacock streaming service, Universal Studios, the theme parks and Bravo, will remain with Comcast.

The new name isn’t meant to be consumer-facing. Lazarus said he wants Versant to be viewed as a house of brands, with each asset interacting with users rather than the corporate holding entity.

This would mark Versant's first major sports rights deal and it's expected to net the USGA roughly the same as the original Fox deal did in 2013.

This time around, Netflix had bid for the rights, after ESPN, CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery inquired, but the NBCUniversal extension appears to be the most likely scenario.