NBC Joining Fox As Official USFL Broadcast Partner

Things are picking up for the all-new newer version of the USFL, and a Peacock is playing a role in it.

No, that's not the nickname of one of the teams. We're talking about the Peacock Network, as in NBC, which will join Fox in televising games this spring, as relayed by John Ourand of Sports Business Journal.

NBC will join Fox as the USFL's official broadcast partner, with NBC and its partners scheduled to televise 21 games, compared to 22 for Fox. NBC's deal will run for three years and includes rights fees to the Fox-controlled league, Ourand reported.

"NBC will carry eight games on its broadcast channel, nine games on USA Network and four games on Peacock," Ourand wrote. "Fox will carry 12 games on its broadcast channel and 10 games on FS1."

All 43 USFL games this spring will be held in Birmingham, Ala. The league will consist of two divisions and eight teams overall.

The North Division will consist of the Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers. The South will have the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits.

Teams will play a 10-game schedule, followed by semifinals involving the top two teams in each division. The winners of those two games will meet for the 2022 USFL championship.

The new USFL kicks off in April, with games scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays through June. The original USFL ran from 1982-86.

Playing all of the games in Birmingham will "cut down on production expenses. It also will enable Fox and NBC to test different production and programming techniques during the games," Ourand wrote.