Olympic Channel TV network set to launch

A new Olympic Channel TV network will launch in the U.S. in the second half of 2017 with year-round Olympic sports programming from around the world.

The “Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA” brand will emphasize American athletes and teams.

The Olympic Channel launched as a website at the end of the Rio Olympics and has offered live programming and video. Its slogan is, “Where the Games never end.”

The coming cable TV channel complements the digital platform through a partnership among the International Olympic Committee, U.S. Olympic Committee and NBC.

“We will ensure that U.S. audiences are more closely connected with the Olympic Movement through a more personalized experience,” Olympic Channel general manager Mark Parkman said in a press release. “Placing a spotlight on Olympic sports outside of the Games themselves will ultimately bring them more deserved attention and help them grow.”

The partnership will also bring a significant commitment of Olympic sports programming to NBC and NBCSN beginning with Saturday’s Winter Champions Series.

More on the TV network’s programming from NBC Universal:

The collaborative programming will emphasize live events from a broad portfolio of summer and winter Olympic sports. It will also include Olympic-themed original content produced by all three parties, such as original programs produced by filmmakers from around the world commissioned by the global Olympic Channel; rich archival footage from the IOC and NBCU’s library of Olympic features and documentaries; and original Team USA programming contributed by the USOC.

Last week, the Olympic Channel announced it commissioned a documentary series for its global digital platform, beginning with a film on three-time Cuban Olympic boxing champion Teófilo Stevenson.

MORE: NBC to air USA Track and Field events through 2024