Versant announces ‘USA Sports’ brand, division name

Versant will use the name “USA Sports” as the division and brand name for the company’s wide-reaching portfolio of sports broadcasts, including ones airing on USA Network and Golf Channel.

The name will used for all sports properties and programming on Versant-owned platforms, including NASCAR, PGA Tour, Premier League, WWE, WNBA, USGA, R&A, LPGA Tour, PGA of America, Atlantic 10 Basketball, DP World Tour, Augusta National Golf Club, College Golf and League One Volleyball, according to the company.

In total, USA Sports will present more than 10,000 hours of event, studio and original sports programming across USA Network, Golf Channel and CNBC in 2026, according to the announcement.

“Our new USA Sports brand and division name leans into USA Network’s decades-long reputation as a top national sports and entertainment network,” said Matt Hong, president of USA Sports, in a statement. “Our diverse portfolio of sports properties and programming across our platforms highlights top-tier global leagues and amplifies major events throughout the sports landscape. USA Sports has something for all sports fans across the country.”

The new USA Sports brand honors the rich history of sports programming on USA Network, according to Versant. The network has featured sports programming going back to its launch in 1979.

The brand will continue to feature a wide range of telecasts from a variety of sports and levels, but will notably be losing rights to Olympics coverage once the split from Comcast and NBCUniversal is complete, which may have been another key reason to create a more distinct, standalone brand that can start building brand recognition. 

Despite the new overall branding, Golf Channel will continue to maintain its name under the umbrella brand and an updated logo will debut in 2026. CNBC is also slated to start airing USA Sports programming on weekends.

As part of the announcement, Versant also released a USA Sports logo that uses the existing USA Network logo above the word “Sports” set in a blocky italic sans serif. 

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This type of font, with its more squared-off letter footprints with sharp rounded corners, is a common look in sports broadcast design. 

While the new font choice certainly contrasts with the flowing, more geometric and smooth lines of the USA logo, the overall lockup could be seen as though the word “Sports” was simply tacked on to the existing network logo, though care was taken to ensure that, despite the different angle from the italics, the widest point of both the left and right sides of the word “Sports” remains completely under the overall width of “USA” above.

The use of the somewhat stereotypically sports-themed font has the advantage of subtly communicating the division as a sports brand, but also has the potential downside of feeling a bit cliché. 

In some ways, it would have been interesting to see if the two elements couldn’t have been unified a bit better, perhaps with a nod to how the USA logo uses the negative space between the lowercase “u” and “a,” along with two additional petal-shaped elements to create the outline of the “s.”

The choice to use the “USA” name also suggests, whether intended or not, that much of the sports programming centers around American athletes and leagues, though the network will include coverage from outside the U.S. Of course, the use of the “USA” initialism in a name doesn’t necessarily have to mean that all of its content originates from the U.S. — but could also be interpreted as a reference to the biggest audience it serves. 

Versant also released a sizzle that relies heavily on black and a distinct red-orange shade, often accented with gradients and dramatic shadows on the “USA” part that further emphasizes the negative space effect. 

Following is a property-by-property breakdown of USA Sports’ portfolio, provided by Versant.

• NASCAR: USA Network is the home of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and airs 10 Cup Series races annually – the most points-earning Cup Series races of any network. USA Sports also produces the final four races of the Playoffs on NBC and Peacock, including the NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
• PGA Tour: Golf Channel is the home of the PGA Tour with year-round tournament coverage, news, and analysis – including every Signature event and tentpole events such as the Player Championship, the FedExCup Playoffs, and the biennial Presidents Cup – surrounded by critically-acclaimed news and analysis on studio shows such as Golf Today, Golf Central, and Live From. All-in, Golf Channel will present coverage of 45 PGA Tour events in 2026 – more than double any other linear TV network – as well as exclusive linear coverage of the PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tour.
• Premier League: For more than a decade, Premier League fans in the United States have watched their favorite clubs on USA Network, and more than 175 Premier League matches will air on USA Network over the course of the 2025-26 campaign.
• WWE: USA Network is the weekly TV home of WWE with live primetime coverage of WWE Smackdown airing Friday nights regularly throughout the year.
• WNBA: USA Network will be a destination for WNBA fans in 2026 with more than 50 games next season – including 2026 WNBA Finals games. The 2026 WNBA on USA schedule will be highlighted by Wednesday night doubleheaders, showcasing matchups across the Eastern and Western conferences.
• USGA: USA Sports recently announced a six-year agreement with the USGA to present coverage of our national championships – the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open – on USA Network through 2032, as well as live coverage of the USGA’s prestigious amateur championships on Golf Channel. Live From, Golf Channel’s critically acclaimed studio show, provides comprehensive coverage on-site at the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open.
• R&A: USA Network boasts coverage of both The Open Championship and the AIG Women’s Open, two of the most coveted titles internationally in the sport of golf. Golf Channel provides annual coverage of the Senior Open Championship. Live From the Open surrounds The Open Championship with comprehensive news and analysis on Golf Channel.
• LPGA Tour: Golf Channel is the home of the LPGA Tour, delivering comprehensive live coverage of the premier women’s professional tour beginning with the Tournament of Champions in January through the CME Group Tour Championship in November. Golf Channel also features exclusive coverage of the Ladies’ European Tour.
• PGA of America: USA Sports provides biennial coverage the Ryder Cup – one of the biggest events in all of golf – as well as the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, and the PGA Professional Championship. Golf Channel surrounds the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup with its Live From week-long on-site studio show.
• Atlantic 10: USA Sports will present more than 40 regular season A-10 men’s and women’s college basketball games on USA Network during the 2025-2026 season – highlighted by Saturday and Sunday double- and triple-headers – as well as men’s and women’s conference tournament games.
• DP World Tour: Golf Channel will present comprehensive coverage of the DP World Tour in 2026, presenting all 35-plus events of the preeminent men’s professional tour of the European Tour group spanning 26 different countries.
• August National Golf Club: Golf Channel will be on-site at Augusta National Golf Club all week long with Live From The Masters, providing the most compelling pre- and post-round analysis for The Masters Tournament. Golf Channel also presents annual coverage of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur held at Champions Retreat and Augusta National Golf Club, as well as the annual Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals which showcases junior golfers from ages 7-15 competing at Augusta National on the Sunday prior to the Masters.
• College Golf: Golf Channel is the home of men’s and women’s college golf in the United States with live coverage of more than 10 events in the spring and fall of 2026, including the men’s and women’s NCAA Championships, the St Andrews Links Collegiate at St Andrews in Scotland, and the East Lake Cup at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga.
• League One Volleyball: Earlier this year, USA Sports announced a multi-year deal with League One Volleyball, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in the U.S. Beginning in January 2026, USA Network will present a primetime Match of the Week on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET, culminating with the LOVB Championship Match on USA Network in April.

Additionally, USA Sports’ portfolio is complemented by Versant’s established digital and streaming sports businesses including GolfNow, the industry leader in golf course management technology and the world’s largest tee-time reservations platform; GolfPass, its golf membership program co-founded by Rory McIlroy; and youth sports technology and video platform SportsEngine.