NBCUniversal, which shuttered NBC Sports Network in 2021, is considering launching a sports-focused cable channel that would carry programming available on streaming service Peacock.

The venture is being discussed but is not certain to move forward, a person familiar with the situation told Deadline. It comes at a sensitive and dynamic time for an increasingly sports-centric TV business.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the deliberations, said they could result in a launch as soon as this fall. That timing would make sense given NBCU will be kicking off an 11-year rights deal with the NBA, with some of those games bound for Peacock. While the streaming flagship has grown by foregrounding sports, it has caused some fans to grumble that it has locked up exclusive rights to NFL football, Premier League soccer and the Olympics. Peacock also just raised its monthly price by a hefty $3, with its $10.99 cost now tops among ad-supported outlets.

Cord-cutting has ravaged the traditional bundle, forcing sports stalwarts like ESPN and Fox to roll out subscription streaming offerings in time for the 2025 football season. NBCU’s move would go in the other direction, but it acknowledges a reality sports fans know all too well, which is that the explosion of streaming and the entrance of non-traditional players like Roku, Netflix and YouTube into the ranks of rightsholders is causing mass confusion.

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Against that backdrop, the objective of a major player like NBCU with a new cable outlet would be to make it possible to watch games however you pay for them, whether via traditional pay-TV or direct-to-consumer streaming. NBCU and other cable network programmers also are in the process of reorganizing that distressed part of their portfolios, with Comcast spinning off Versant, which will be a home for NBCU cable apart from Bravo. Warner Bros. Discovery is making a similar move and A+E Global Media is exploring a sale of its holdings, though they do not encompass sports.

The Journal said it is not yet clear where the new channel would be offered to consumers within the packages offered by pay-TV providers. One of the points of friction for customers has historically been the “tiering” of sports, with hefty price tags often assigned to sports.

Pure streaming deals for sports remain rare, though YouTube will carry its first NFL game this fall. Even a game-changing deal like Apple’s venture with Major League Soccer, which brought MLS games to Apple TV+, was accompanied by a linear deal with Fox.