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NBC SPORTS GROUP AND UNIVERSAL SPORTS NETWORK TO PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED USA WRESTLING COVERAGE IN 2015

NBC SPORTS GROUP AD UNIVERSAL SPORTS NETWORK TO PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED USA WRESTLING COVERAGE IN 2015

 NBCSN and Universal Sports Network Combine to Present More Than 12 Hours of Coverage From Major Wrestling Competitions This Season

Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 19, 2015) – USA Wrestling, NBC Sports Group and Universal Sports Network have reached an agreement on a historic partnership to present unprecedented coverage of Olympic-style wrestling events held in the United States during the 2015 season.

NBCSN and Universal Sports Network will combine to present nine USA Wrestling telecasts from five events, including five live telecasts, and more than 12 hours of total coverage, the most live content in a single season in USA Wrestling history.

In addition, NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will provide streaming coverage alongside all of NBCSN’s USA Wrestling telecasts. UniversalSports.com will stream all of Universal Sports’ broadcast coverage.

The following are the five events that will be telecast on NBCSN and Universal Sports Network in 2015:

·         Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles, Calif., April 11-12

·         U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nev., May 8-9

·         Beat the Streets USA vs. Cuba dual in New York, N.Y., May 21

·         Greco-Roman World Team Trials Wrestle-off in Ithaca, N.Y., June 4

·         U.S. World Team Trials in Madison, Wis., June 13-14

Last year, USA Wrestling signed its first multi-event media-rights agreement ever, with four events on Universal Sports, and also worked with NBCSN to present the Beat the Streets dual meet. The expanded schedule represents an increased commitment by both networks to cover Olympic-caliber wrestling.

“Congratulations to USA Wrestling’s Finance Committee and Board of Directors for their vision in investing last year to raise wrestling’s television profile. This investment paid off with our most significant television deal in our history. Because we were able to show that international wrestling drives viewership, this new historic deal came to fruition. A special thanks to the U.S. Olympic Committee, NBC Sports, Universal Sports Network for their belief in wrestling. This would not have been possible without the efforts of Allan Finehirsh and Christian Holiday, and the support of Beat the Streets New York,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender.

“We’re proud to bring unprecedented coverage of USA Wrestling to NBCSN this year,” said Gary Quinn, Vice President, Programming, NBC Sports Group. “The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio are just around the corner, and our USA Wrestling coverage represents our ongoing commitment to support and grow Olympic sports in the United States.”

“We are pleased to provide a home for USA Wrestling’s premier events and bring some much-deserved attention to a sport steeped in Olympic history,” said Universal Sports’ President Scott Brown. “This multi-platform media agreement demonstrates and reinforces our commitment to deliver world-class event programming to our passionate fan base.”

The 2015 wrestling season begins with the Freestyle Wrestling World Cup in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 11-12, featuring the top 10 men’s freestyle wrestling teams in the world. World and Olympic medalists expected to compete include American star Jordan Burroughs, a 2012 Olympic champion and two-time World champion. World powers Iran and Russia are included in the field, along with Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Mongolia and Turkey.

The U.S. Open, which takes place on the weekend of May 8-9 in Las Vegas, Nev., serves as the annual U.S. national championships in the three Olympic styles: men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. The nation’s best wrestlers will battle for national titles and All-American honors in an event with more than a century of tradition in the United States. Among the athletes expected to compete are Olympic champions Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, Olympic medalists Clarissa Chun, Coleman Scott and Randi Miller, and World champions Adeline Gray, Elena Pirozhkova and Iris Smith.

The Beat the Streets Dual Meet, featuring the United States and Cuba, will be held in New York City on May 21. This will be the fourth straight year that NBCSN has broadcast the popular dual meet, an event which has also appeared on Universal Sports in the past. Top Olympic hopefuls in all three disciplines will compete in challenge matches.

The U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Trials, set for Ithaca, N.Y., on Saturday, June 4. The exciting new format for the Greco-Roman team selection will feature the top two wrestlers in each weight class, competing for spots on the U.S. team which will compete in the World Championships in Las Vegas this September.

The U.S. World Team Trials will be held in Madison, Wis., June 13-14. The event features many of the nation’s top men’s and women’s freestyle wrestlers, and also serves as a qualifying event for the U.S. team which will compete in the World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas in September.

Through the historic media agreement, sports fans will have an unprecedented opportunity to see more USA Wrestling competition on national television than ever.

“We are extremely excited to work with our broadcast partners to offer the opportunity to literally millions of American sports fans to enjoy man’s oldest and greatest sport on television,” added Bender.

NBCSN and Universal Sports Broadcast Schedule: 2015 USA Wrestling

All Times Eastern –Subject to Change