Versus is a
sportSport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as...
s-oriented
cable televisionCable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required...
network in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by
ComcastComcast Corporation , founded in 1963, is the largest cable operator in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers. Comcast is headquartered in the One Comcast Center in Center City, Philadelphia,...
.
It was previously known as
OLN until a name change on September 25, 2006. Formerly, OLN stood for
Outdoor Life Network, and the name was licensed from
Outdoor LifeOutdoor Life is an outdoors magazine about hunting, fishing, survival and camping. It is a sister magazine of Field & Stream.Outdoor Life launched in Denver, Colorado in January 1898. Founder and Editor-in-Chief , J.A...
magazine. Under that name, the channel was launched in July 1995 and at the time focused almost exclusively on fishing, hunting, and other related outdoor sports.
In June 2008, Comcast's Versus sports cable network moved its operations from
StamfordStamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 118,475, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England Stamford is part of the New York metropolitan area.-Sister...
,
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
to Comcast's headquarters base in Philadelphia,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
.
The OLN brand was retained in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and that channel continues to air some Versus programming but has kept its focus on outdoor sports and lifestyle programs to meet their CRTC licensing requirements.
Programming
- NHL on Versus
The NHL on Versus is the National Hockey League's cable programming in the United States for the regular season, playoffs, and Stanley Cup Finals.-History:...
- IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and overseas...
- College Football on Versus
The television channel Versus currently airs college football games from various college football conferences. At the time this program began, the channel was known as OLN but, in 2006, it was renamed Versus....
- College Basketball on Versus
- Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. The largest annual international team competition in sports, the Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition...
Tennis
- PBR on Versus
- Americas Cup on Versus
- WEC
World Extreme Cagefighting is an American mixed martial arts promotion. It is the sister promotion to the Ultimate Fighting Championship , both owned and produced by Zuffa, with a focus on the lighter weight classes...
on Versus
- World Combat League on Versus
- Fight Night on Versus
- USSA on Versus
- Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately throughout France and bordering countries. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are totalled to...
on Versus
- SlamBall
Slamball is full-contact basketball, with trampolines. Points are scored by playing the ball through the net, as in basketball, though the point-scoring rules are modified. The main differences from the parent sport is the court; below the padded basketball rim and backboard are four trampolines...
on Versus
- UFL (United Football League) on Versus
Extreme sports
In July 2005, OLN revamped its image, focusing on more extreme outdoor sporting events. As noted by an OLN press release, its programming is "designed to be real, bold and awe-inspiring and supports our mission to bring to life the thrills, challenges and competition in the outdoors that our audience craves." In conjunction with the revamp, OLN's
logoA logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition...
and website (in the USA) were completely redesigned as well. As part of the revamp, OLN acquired the rights from
NBC UniversalNBC Universal, Inc. is a media and entertainment company formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electric's NBC with Vivendi Universal Entertainment, part of the French Media Group. The deal excluded the French Canal+ operations, which were retained by Vivendi. GE owns 80% of NBC Universal...
of the
X GamesThe X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by Disney-owned US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on extreme action sports intended for Generation X and Generation Y viewers. The games started in 1995....
-type
Gravity GamesGravity Games is a multi-sport competition originating from Providence, Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations. These feature a variety of Extreme Sports such as Aggressive Inline Skating, skateboarding, Freestyle Motocross, BMX freestyle and snowboarding .The Gravity...
as well as the rebroadcast rights to the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
reality seriesReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors...
Survivor, and began airing the series from the beginning of season one on July 24, 2005. Versus is also home to many Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and
bull ridingBull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted for at least 8 seconds while the animal attempts to buck off the rider. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope...
events.
Cycling
In 2004, OLN capitalized on the popularity of
Lance ArmstrongLance Edward Armstrong is an American professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support....
during the
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately throughout France and bordering countries. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are totalled to...
, showing virtually nothing but Tour-related coverage for over three weeks. Their coverage of the Tour was hosted by
Phil LiggettPhil Liggett MBE is a sports journalist and commentator on the Versus and ITV, for the Tour de France and other bike races...
,
Paul SherwenPaul Sherwen is an English former professional racing cyclist. He is now a broadcaster on cycling, notably the Tour de France...
,
Al TrautwigAl Trautwig is a commentator with the MSG Network, NBC, Versus, and USA Network. He does the pre-game and post-game shows for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as fill-in play-by-play for both teams.-Early life:...
, and
Bob RollBob Roll is a former American professional cyclist, author, and television sports commentator. He was a member of the 7-Eleven Cycling Team until 1990 and competed for the Motorola Cycling Team in 1991. In 1992 Roll moved to Greg LeMond’s Z team and added mountain biking to his racing...
. Additional Tour-related programming included the
reality showsReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors...
The Lance Chronicles which focused on Armstrong's training for the Tour, and
The Roadside Tour, following the Cutters, a particularly devoted group of Armstrong fans. This coverage was grouped under the title "The Cyclysm," which was meant to refer to Armstrong's effort to win a record sixth Tour de France. Versus marketed this with the line, "Someday, someone may ask you, 'Where were you during the Cyclysm?'" A year later, the network's coverage of the Tour was promoted as "Cyclysm II" as Armstrong went for his seventh consecutive
maillot jaune, which he won. In 2008, Versus added more cycling to their schedule by showing major cycling tours year-round. Now on occasional Sundays throughout the year Versus will air stages from different races. They call this "Cyclysm Sunday."
Ice hockey
On August 17, 2005,
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
chose not to match OLN's three-year,
US$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
200 million offer for the NHL's U.S. cable TV rights. The NHL's deal with OLN parent
ComcastComcast Corporation , founded in 1963, is the largest cable operator in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers. Comcast is headquartered in the One Comcast Center in Center City, Philadelphia,...
also gives the company part ownership of a U.S. version of
NHL NetworkNHL Network is a television specialty channel devoted to the National Hockey League and the sport of ice hockey that launched in the United States in 2007. A Canadian version of the NHL Network has been on the air since 2001...
, and distribution on all of its cable systems. Comcast also has the rights to simulcast out of market NHL games on its
Comcast SportsNetComcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States that is primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
stations. Both Comcast and the NHL have the right to void the final year of the contract.
During certain games of its first season covering the NHL, Versus simulcasted the
CBCThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. In French, it is called la Société Radio-Canada...
feed of
NHLThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league as a joint venture for its self perpetuating membership of 30 franchised member clubs located in the United States and Canada...
games, mostly those where teams from western
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
were at home, but now typically does its own production of any game selected for broadcast.
On January 28, 2008, Versus and the NHL extended the deal through the 2010-11 season.
Auto Racing
On August 7, 2008, Versus announced a 10-year deal with the
Indy Racing LeagueThe Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is an American based open-wheel racing series sanctioning body.The League sanctions two series, the premier IndyCar Series , whose centerpiece is the Indianapolis 500, and Firestone Indy Lights, the official developmental series of the Indy...
to broadcast at least 13
IndyCar SeriesThe IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and overseas...
events a year in HD, beginning in 2009. Versus will also broadcast extensive pre-race coverage, a one-hour preview show the day before each race including qualifying highlights, qualifications for the
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500 or sometimes known simply as The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, a Firestone Indy Lights weekly telecast, replays of all series races a week after original broadcast, and at least 10 hours of ancillary programming..
Bob JenkinsBob Jenkins is an American television and radio sports announcer best known for his work at ABC and ESPN calling NASCAR and IndyCar telecasts. He is currently the lead commentator for the IndyCar Series on Versus.-ESPN and ABC:...
,
Robbie BuhlRobbie Buhl is a former Indy Racing League competitor and current team-owner, with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team in the IRL's IndyCar Series....
, and
Jon BeekhuisJon Beekhuis is a former race car driver from Zurich, Switzerland. The 1988 Indy Lights champion, he drove in 9 CART races in 1990 and a handful more in 1989, 1991, and 1992. His best finish was an 8th at Michigan International Speedway...
are on the broadcast team along with
Jack AruteJack Arute, Jr. is an auto racing pit reporter and college football sideline reporter for ESPN, auto racing pit reporter for Versus, and radio host for Sirius Satellite Radio's NFL Radio as well as being president of the Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut.-Biography:Arute began his work with...
, Robbie Floyd, and Lindy Thackston in the pits. Terry Linger is the producer.
The network also broadcast various motorsports series on its Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour program such as
USACThe United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
,
ASAThe American Speed Association is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana and currently is headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. ASA was most famous for a national touring series which began in 1973 but was...
and
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesLucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series founded in 2005, is a racing championship series for late model stock cars. It competes as 1 of 2 national late model touring series' in the United States on dirt ovals. The series is broadcast tape delayed on Speed Channel and Versus...
.
In September 2009, Versus announced a weekly series on the
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Chase for the Sprint Cup entitled "Quest for the Sprint Cup" and intentions to explore opportunities for getting more NASCAR coverage.
Football
Versus currently airs
College Football on VersusThe television channel Versus currently airs college football games from various college football conferences. At the time this program began, the channel was known as OLN but, in 2006, it was renamed Versus....
and College Football Central games from the
Mountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS , officially began operations in July 1999. Geographically, the MWC covers a broad expanse of the western United States, with member institutions located in California,...
. This relationship began before OLN rebranded to Versus with the September 9 game between
Colorado StateColorado State University is a public institution of higher learning located in Fort Collins, Colorado in the United States. Colorado State University is the state's land grant university and the flagship campus university of the Colorado State University System. The enrollment is approximately...
and
ColoradoThe University of Colorado at Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the University of Colorado system and was founded five months before Colorado was admitted to the union in 1876...
in the annual
Rocky Mountain ShowdownThe Rocky Mountain Showdown is an annual American football college rivalry between the University of Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State University Rams. The winner of the game receives the Centennial Cup. The series began in 1893 and played annually until 1958...
. On June 6, 2007, it was announced that Versus has agreed to a multi-year deal with
Fox Sports NetThe Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.-Beginnings:...
to sublicense up to 10 college games annually from the Pac-10 and Big 12 conferences totaling 19 scheduled college football games on Versus during 2007. For the 2008 season, they have added games from the
Ivy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The term is most commonly used to refer to those eight schools considered as a group...
as well.
Early in 2006, OLN broadcast some games during the
Arena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League was founded in 1987 as an indoor American football by Jim Foster. It was played indoors on a smaller field than American football, resulting in a faster-paced and higher-scoring game...
's 20th Anniversary season. Versus televised a weekly regular-season game for 11 weeks as well as a wild card playoff game. However, the agreement was not renewed, instead moving to
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
.
In 2006, Versus bid on the
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
's new Thursday and Saturday night game package (for games that would air from Thanksgiving to the end of the season), however the NFL opted instead to put games on its own
NFL NetworkNFL Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to American football. It is owned and operated by the National Football League and is also shown in Canada and Mexico. It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to...
.
Versus acquired the rights to the
96th Grey CupThe 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal at Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2008. The Eastern Division Champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the Western Division Champion Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders won the game 22-14, with quarterback Henry Burris winning the MVP award...
, the championship game of the
Canadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located entirely in Canada.Its eight teams, which are located in eight cities, are divided into two divisions of four teams each . The league's nineteen-week regular season runs from mid-June to early November. Each team plays...
.
Versus acquired the rights to the inaugural season of the United Football League.
Basketball
Versus added college basketball to its schedule for the 2006-07 season, as it secured the rights to broadcast eight men's
Mountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS , officially began operations in July 1999. Geographically, the MWC covers a broad expanse of the western United States, with member institutions located in California,...
basketball games, including the Conference Championship game. Versus also televised all eight games of the inaugural
T-MobileT-Mobile is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom and belongs to the FreeMove Business alliance.T-Mobile is a group of mobile phone corporate subsidiaries that operate GSM and UMTS networks in Europe and the United States. The T stands for Telekom. T-Mobile also has financial stakes in mobile operators...
Invitational
high schoolHigh school is the name used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Northern America and Oceania, to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education...
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
tournament. During the 2008–2009 season Comcast SportsNet (Versus' sibling) acquired the rights to NBA Action as an incentive together with coverage of the select NBA teams at the selects regional areas, CSN decided to lend it to the Versus Network and the channel will air the show NBA Action nationally together with NBA TV every single week all season long.
Baseball
There had been reports in 2005 that Versus would take the Monday night, Wednesday night (plus most Wednesday afternoons), and Sunday night cable telecast rights to
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
games away from ESPN, but ESPN managed to work out a new deal allowing fewer local blackouts of Monday games (a major sticking point for ESPN). ESPN's other package, which includes a Thursday game, games on holidays, and Division Series playoff games, expired after the 2006 season and has been awarded to TBS, replacing the Thursday night games with a Sunday afternoon package. Versus had one last opportunity to acquire baseball rights, as one of either the
American LeagueIn Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series , played in October, is a round in the postseason that determines the winner of the American League pennant. The winner of the series advances to play the winner of the National League Championship Series in baseball's championship,...
or
National League Championship SeriesIn Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series...
was up for grabs (the other LCS was previously announced to air on Fox, MLB's incumbent network partner), but TBS won those rights as well.
Combat sports
Versus is beginning to program a variety of combat sports. In 2006, Versus entered the
boxingBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
arena with a series of fight programs promoted by
Bob ArumRobert "Bob" Arum is professional boxing promoter. He also worked for the US Attorneys Office for the southern district of New York, in the Tax division....
's Top Rank group. Versus also televises
Chuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist, actor and media personality. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
's
World Combat LeagueThe World Combat League is a full contact, team-based martial arts competition. Each team is from a different city or region: Texas, New York, Los Angeles, Oklahoma, St.Louis, New Jersey, Miami, and Denver; the league intends to grow to more cities in the United States and have both a European...
, a
kickboxingrefers to the sport of combining the grace and style of boxing with kicking. Kickboxing is a standing sport and does not allow continuation of the fight once a combatant has reached the ground....
promotion where fights are contested in a unique round ring without ropes. Versus entered into a partnership with
World Extreme CagefightingWorld Extreme Cagefighting is an American mixed martial arts promotion. It is the sister promotion to the Ultimate Fighting Championship , both owned and produced by Zuffa, with a focus on the lighter weight classes...
(WEC) to bring
mixed martial artsMixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground...
events to the network, with the first being broadcast live on June 3, 2007. Versus also entered into a partnership with MMA clothing line TapouT to air
TapouTTapouT is an American reality television series that focuses on the world of mixed martial arts. The series premiered on Versus on June 3, 2007 before moving to its regular Wednesday night timeslot beginning June 6...
, a
mixed martial artsMixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground...
reality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors...
program which also debuted on June 3.
Track and Field (Athletics)
Versus, with
NBC SportsNBC Sports is the sports division of NBC. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games , the NFL, the NHL, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the USGA Championships, Wimbledon, and the French Open, among...
and the World Championship Sports Network (now
Universal SportsUniversal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, mainly those contested in the Olympics. The network, a combined operation of NBC Universal and InterMedia Partners, began as the World Championship Sports Network in 2005...
), broadcast coverage of the
2007 World Championships in AthleticsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
from Osaka, Japan, as well as the
2009 World Championships in AthleticsThe 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
from Berlin, Germany.
Other sports
Versus has secured coverage for the
2007 America's CupThe 2007 America's Cup was the thirty-second regatta vying for the America's Cup and was won by Alinghi in the 7th race. The Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta and Match Race in the sport of sailing....
, which was also a staple on ESPN and ESPN2 for years. OLN began to show qualifying regattas in late 2005. Versus aired the
Louis Vuitton CupThe Louis Vuitton Cup is one of the most famous and prestigious competitions in the sport of yachting because of its relationship to the America's Cup. The Louis Vuitton Cup was used as the selection series to select the team to sail as the challenger in the America's Cup...
for challengers in 2007, and the America's Cup match between the Louis Vuitton winner and current champions, won by
AlinghiAlinghi is a coined name of the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli to challenge for the America's Cup. Bertarelli had raced several smaller yachts named Alinghi previously, but 2003 was his first attempt at the America's Cup...
of
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
in Valencia, Spain. In 2006, it picked up American broadcast rights (in conjunction with
The Tennis ChannelTennis Channel is an American digital cable television channel with programming devoted to the game of tennis. Founded in 2003, the network is owned by a group of investors including sports marketing firm IMG. Well known tennis professionals Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the many...
) of
Davis CupThe Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. The largest annual international team competition in sports, the Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition...
events. In addition, the network has signed for a Saturday night "Game of the Week" for the
National Lacrosse LeagueThe National Lacrosse League is the league of men's indoor lacrosse in North America. It currently has 11 teams; three in Canada and eight in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter...
starting with the 2006-07 season. Also in 2006, Versus began airing the
Professional Darts CorporationThe Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organisation, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the officially-recognised British Darts Organisation...
's
HolstenHolsten Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1518 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager Holsten Pilsener...
Premier League Darts starting in 2006. Versus has also added Major Indoor Soccer League games, and the
USA SevensThe USA Sevens is an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in the United States. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. While the Sevens World Series has been held since 1999-2000, the USA Sevens was only introduced in 2004, as part of the 2003-04 series. In 2007, the tournament had the...
, one of the eight tournaments that make up the
IRB Sevens World SeriesThe IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the IRB Sevens before the 2006-07 season and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the 1999-2000 season. The tournaments, run by the International...
, the top annual circuit in the
sevensRugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side and VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. The game originated in Melrose, Scotland, and the Melrose Sevens is still played annually. The game is popular at all levels,...
version of
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
. In 2007, Versus aired coverage of the 2007 Sony Ericsson Championships from Madrid, Spain.
Other programs
Versus has also aired several sports movies, like
Rocky IIIRocky III is the second sequel in the Rocky film series, released in 1982. It is written and directed by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the title character, with Carl Weathers as former boxing rival Apollo Creed, and Talia Shire as Rocky's wife, Adrian.Rocky's opponent is James "Clubber" Lang,...
,
The Big LebowskiThe Big Lebowski is a 1998 American comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeffrey Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who refers to himself as "The Dude"....
and
MiracleMiracle is a American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice...
, as well as classic episodes of
Survivor. and original programming shows like
Sports SoupSports Soup is a weekly series airing in the U.S. on Versus. The show , hosted by Matt Iseman, skewers the latest in sports and the stations that cover them in similar fashion to sister network E! Entertainment Television's series The Soup...
, TapOut, The Contender, Holy @#%*!, and Fanarchy.
Distribution
In October 2005, OLN elected not to provide its NHL coverage to a number of distributors, including EchoStar (
Dish NetworkDish Network Corporation is a direct broadcast satellite service provider that offers satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States. Dish Network services were launched in March 1996. Today, the company competes...
) and Cablevision, which both refused Comcast's request to place Versus on a much higher-penetration package. During this time, Versus blacked out NHL coverage on these systems, replacing them with other programming. It is believed that the reason behind these blackouts had to do with a penalty fee that Comcast would have had to pay the NHL if they did not significantly increase their distribution.
While Cablevision eventually came to an agreement making OLN/Versus available to any customer with digital cable, EchoStar retaliated by pulling OLN from its service; it was Dish Network's stance that few of its customers would be willing to have the channel if it meant raising rates. On April 24, 2006, the same date that OLN announced the late-September name change to Versus, Dish Network and OLN reached a long term agreement to restore the channel.
DirecTV carriage dispute
On August 18, 2009,
DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
informed its customers that it may drop the channel after August 31 if a new carriage agreement isn't made with
ComcastComcast Corporation , founded in 1963, is the largest cable operator in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers. Comcast is headquartered in the One Comcast Center in Center City, Philadelphia,...
. Robert Mercer, director of public relations for DirecTV, said: "Versus' overall ratings are poor and have not increased nearly enough to justify what we're paying them, let alone the significant increase they're asking for. He added "It is a significant rate hike and the deal is discriminatory because Versus is not offering the same package options as other distributors."
Versus responded in a statement released August 20 that said it has added "many marquee properties" and has become "the fastest-growing sports cable network in the country."
The price cable systems pay is reportedly 18 cents per subscriber. The rate Versus is asking of DirecTV is unknown. DirecTV dropped the channel at midnight on September 1, replacing it with the message "Versus is no longer available on this channel. Comcast, which owns Versus, has forced us to take down the channel because we will not submit to their unfair and outrageous demands. For more information go to
www.directv.com/versus." DirecTV said it already pays Versus more than any other independent distributor and that the 20% hike it is seeking "for what is basically a paid programming and infomercial channel with occasional sporting events of interest is simply piggish. Comcast has set a market with arms length negotiations with these other distributors and DirecTV expects equal treatment. But we want them to understand that we must hold the line on programming costs and protect them from unwarranted price increases, especially in this challenging economy."
Versus responded by saying "On behalf of millions of passionate sports fans, we are disappointed that DirecTV has chosen to remove Versus from its service and deny their subscribers access to our all-encompassing coverage of the sports they love. Since our last deal with DirecTV, Versus has added many marquee properties and has become one of the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country. Versus offered DirecTV a fair and reasonable offer to carry the network at the market price. We hope DirecTV will make the right decision for their customers and put Versus back on the air." The next day they said the dispute is about placement, not prices. "DirecTV wanted to take Versus away from 6 million subscribers who were receiving it for no additional cost. That was simply not acceptable for us. We hope to resolve things amicably, but that's a non-starter." Those increases aren't true," said Davis. "We're simply asking them to pay what the other providers are paying." He added "If the quote-unquote 'leader in sports' considers the Stanley Cup playoffs and Lance Armstrong's comeback as paid programming and infomercials, then I think the average fan knows they're not the real 'leader in sports.' That's an insult to all the fans of those sports." Versus reportedly charges 27 to 29 cents per subscriber.
Versus launched a national newspaper ad on September 4 saying "Worthless: That's what DirecTV thinks of the sports you love". It then urges DirecTV customers to switch providers.
DirecTV has set up a special email address for customers to voice their opinions on the matter at versus@directv.com.
Miscellaneous Notes
On the time/score bar on the top of the screen, the "VS." circular logo is in the middle of the screen. This contrasts with the location used by other networks, which is on one end of the bar or the other. Thus, the bar can be read, "(Team A)" "Versus" "(Team B)," which reflects the network's name. Also, the Versus logo is seen between the two teams in the college basketball time/score bar at the bottom of the screen.
Versus' network promos currently feature "Welcome Home" by
Coheed and CambriaCoheed and Cambria is an American rock band from New York, formed in 1995. The band was originally named "Shabütie"; however, the name was changed to "Coheed and Cambria" when drummer Nate Kelley departed...
, along with the tagline "Competition is Life, Live to Compete: It's on Versus."
Versus HD
Versus HD is a
1080i1080i is the shorthand name of a format of high-definition video modes. 1080 denotes the number of horizontal scan lines - also known as vertical resolution - and the letter i stands for interlaced. In the alternate format of high-definition video mode, known as 1080p, the p would stand for...
high definitionHigh-definition television is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems...
simulcast of Versus that launched in January 2007. Formerly in some markets Versus shared an HD channel slot with sister network Golf Channel which programmed based on the priority of each network's event; this channel was known as
VS./Golf HD. As of December 8, 2008, both channels are now only distributed individually in high definition, and both carry HD content simultaneously.
Previous to the launch of the channel's HD feed, some Versus programming in the HD format was seen on the now-defunct INHD channels.
See also
- OLN (Canada)
- ESPN
ESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
- The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbrieviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the second group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
(Canada)
- NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of NBC. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games , the NFL, the NHL, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the USGA Championships, Wimbledon, and the French Open, among...
- ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports coverage has been delegated to ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
- CBC Sports
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for sports broadcasting. The highest rated televised segment on the CBC Television network comes from the CBC Sports presentation of Hockey Night in Canada...
(Canada)
- CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS which airs many of the sports telecasts in the United States.CBS Sports broadcasts programs like NFL on CBS, The NFL Today, Southeastern Conference football, NCAA basketball, PGA golf, and professional tennis....
- Fox Sports
External links