• Broadcasting & Cable, Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:15 AM

NBC has cut a deal with U.S. Figure Skating that will have the Peacock Network covering the organization's championships for the next three years. The pact includes Saturday night prime-time coverage of the women's free skate competition, which is probably the biggest draw of the event.

It features 10 hours of coverage, including international competition Skate America and extends through the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which NBC also airs. Also part of the agreement: The format has been remade for TV, with all finals on weekends and aired live, but with none scheduled opposite pro football. NBC Sports & Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol says the deal is "almost like creating [a] final four of figure skating."

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