USA Swimming and NBC Sports jointly announced an extension of their media rights deal through 2028 on Thursday, keeping USA Swimming’s biggest events on NBC networks for the next three years.
The deal includes major domestic events like the U.S. National Championships and Pro Swim Series stops, along with the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships, which will return next summer after an eight-year hiatus, airing on NBC and Peacock.
This extension comes in addition to the media rights deal NBCUniversal announced with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this past March, which extends through the 2036 Summer Games.
NBCUniversal’s previous deal with the IOC, signed in 2014, runs through 2032, so the upcoming 2028 Olympic Trials and Olympic Games in Los Angeles were already slated to be aired on NBC networks.
“We are proud to extend our partnership with NBC Sports through 2028, ensuring that fans across the country can continue to experience the thrill of elite swimming on one of the most iconic sports platforms in the world,” said Bob Vincent, Interim CEO of USA Swimming. “From the National Championships to the Olympic Team Trials and into the Los Angeles Olympic Games, NBC’s reach and storytelling elevates our athletes and the sport of swimming in an unparalleled manner.”
“For decades, swimming has provided so many of the most memorable moments at the Olympic Games, including last summer in Paris led by all-time great Katie Ledecky,” said Joe Gesue, SVP, NBC Sports Olympic & Paralympic Programming. “We are proud to partner with USA Swimming to follow the journeys of these incredible athletes for another four years on the road to LA28, and showcase their incredible stories and performances across all of our platforms.”
In 2017, NBC and USA Swimming struck a media rights deal that ran through 2024.
Weellllll …… “airing on NBC and Peacock” – really means Peacock. How many live, all-nation, network-level broadcasts of swimming are there really? One. The Olympic Games.
TYR Pros and other national meets are usually most easily viewed livestream on the USA Swimming website.
When is SwimSwam going to stop covering the Enhanced Games and cover USA Swimming’s memo regarding any form of participation in them sent out last night?
Embarrassing that we’re negotiating things of this magnitude without a CEO. We couldn’t have looked more amateurish throughout this process.
Seems like this negotiation would be in the wheelhouse of the CEO…sure would be nice to have one.
So is Peacock finally gonna cover day 4 of the Pro Swim Series? Totally inexcusable if that’s not contractually required in the new deal.
Yeah missing on on the 2 WR in the FL night session not to mention what I am sure would have been a viral, emotional interview with ledecky after that 800….
“For decades, swimming has provided so many of the most memorable moments at the Olympic Games, including last summer in Paris led by all-time great Katie Ledecky,”
is this sentence funny to anyone else? not dissing katie but like why did he throw her in there lmao
She’s the NBC’s “hey remember this swimmer” golden goose since Phelps retired
Because she’s one gold medal away from having more than any female in Olympic history (she’s currently tied with Larisa Latynina) and of the top 5 most decorated athletes in Olympic history, she’s the only one still actively competing?
Terms of the deal ? Will the athletes benefit?
Does this provide much revenue for US Swimming or is it more of a media exposure deal?
Latest on the search for CEO
Listening to what Greg and others have said in interviews over the last few weeks: there are two camps and they do not agree.
And it’s very much a problem. Wouldn’t site negotiations for trials have already started?
From what I have heard they have known where trials was going to for awhile
Where?