Executives at NBCUniversal are eying a new sports cable network, roughly four years after they shuttered the previous one the company operated.

The unnamed cable channel would carry sports that will also stream on the company’s service, Peacock, with the network potentially going live as early as the fall, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

No decision has been made, and talks are in the early stage, according to the report, but the network would be available on cable and satellite services as part of specialty packages.

NBC could bring back a sports cable network. Getty Images

The channel would complement the Peacock streaming platform and would give the company a safety net of sorts if its subscriber base doesn’t grow as quickly as the network anticipates.

The news comes months before NBC officially joins as a broadcast partner for the NBA, which cost NBCU roughly $2.5 billion annually for the rights to carry the league package.

NBA games this season will air on both linear NBC and on Peacock.

The Wall Street Journal report also indicated that the potential sports network would be made available through specific cable packages, rather than the broader plan that includes other sports networks such as ESPN and Fox Sports 1.

Previously, NBC operated NBC Sports Network — also known as NBCSN — before it shut down in 2021 due to low ratings and its inability to compete with ESPN.

NBCSN used to cover the NHL before the channel was shuttered in 2021. NHLI via Getty Images

NBCU has aired “Sunday Night Football” simulcasts on Peacock, along with an exclusive NFL game that is carried only on the streaming service.

Other sports offerings on the streamer include golf, college football, the Olympics and Premier League soccer before the NBA enters the fray in the fall.

Peacock’s subscription cost went up by $3 to $10.99 a month for its ad-supported tier and to $16.99 for its tier with no commercials.