NBC Sports to Challenge ESPN for Sports Coverage Dominance when they Acquire Channel Versus

January 2nd may mark the date when the monopoly on sports coverage is changed as NBC Sports Network take up the challenge of overcoming sports network giant ESPN.

This date is when sports cable channel Versus will become the NBC Sports Network and the way we watch sports on television is going to change dramatically.

For years, ESPN has ruled the sports world as the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports. Their role as the only all-sports network of significance has created a media empire that has risen out of tiny Bristol, Connecticut.

But with their own sports network, NBC is now gunning for ESPN’s title and with the solid business model, and a solid support system already built-in, you can forgive ESPN if they are looking over their shoulder for the first time.

By acquiring and re-branding Versus, as opposed to starting their own network, NBC Sports will already be a force from day one. When the network debuts in January, it will already be in 70 million homes. They still have a ways to go to catch ESPN (100 million homes), but the task is now considerably easier.

Chairman Mark Lazarus said “We are not going to replicate what others are doing,” and emphasized that NBC Sports would not be doing a “SportsCenter” rip-off.

In 2010, ESPN generated $1.7 billion in ad revenue. At the same time, Versus generated just $110.7 million. With the new NBC Sports name, that number will rise significantly.