Editing USA Network (section)

==Programming==
{{Main|List of programs broadcast by USA Network}}
USA Network has achieved a viewership foothold with its original programming; this began in the 1990s with initial hits such as ''[[Silk Stalkings]]'', ''[[Duckman]]'' and ''[[La Femme Nikita (TV series)|La Femme Nikita]]'', which were gradually followed in the following two decades by series such as ''[[Monk (TV series)|Monk]]'', ''[[Psych]]'', ''[[Shooter (TV series)|Shooter]]'', ''[[White Collar (TV series)|White Collar]]'', ''[[Mr. Robot]]'', ''[[Suits (American TV series)|Suits]]'', ''[[Burn Notice]]'' and ''[[Royal Pains]]''.

In addition to its original productions, the network airs syndicated reruns of current and former network series such as ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'', ''[[Chicago P.D. (TV series)|Chicago P.D.]]'', ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (which spent the final four seasons of its run as a first-run program on USA) and ''NCIS''. The network also broadcasts a variety of films from the [[Universal Pictures]] library and select films from other movie studios (such as [[Sony Pictures|Sony Pictures Entertainment]], [[Paramount Pictures]], [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]] and [[Warner Bros.|Warner Bros. Entertainment]]), airing primarily as part of its overnight and weekend schedule, and occasionally during primetime on nights when original programming or marathons of its acquired programs are not scheduled.

===Sports programming===
{{main|NBC Sports on USA Network|USA Sports}}

USA Network has a longstanding history with sports, dating back to its existence as the [[MSG Network|Madison Square Garden Network]]. The network carried [[Major League Baseball]] games on [[USA Network Thursday Night Baseball|Thursday nights]] from 1979 to 1983, and the ''[[NHL on USA]]'' ran from 1979 to 1985. ''[[College Football on USA]]'' ran from 1980 to 1986, and its telecast of the [[1981 Liberty Bowl]] was the first college [[bowl game]] to be exclusively broadcast on cable television. The ''[[NBA on USA]]'' also aired from 1979 to 1984, the first time that the NBA had a cable television partner.

For 17 years from 1981 to 1998, USA aired a weekly [[boxing]] show, ''[[USA Tuesday Night Fights]]'', which showcased bouts featuring up-and-coming boxers. ''[[Tennis on USA]]'' aired professional tournaments in the United States from 1984 to 2008, and was the longtime cable home of the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] before its cable television rights moved to [[ESPN2]] and the [[Tennis Channel]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=US Open's cable TV deal leaves USA Network for ESPN |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/open-cable-tv-deal-leaves-usa-network-espn-article-1.332294 |newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=May 12, 2008 |access-date=August 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084601/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/open-cable-tv-deal-leaves-usa-network-espn-article-1.332294 |archive-date=August 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Closing Time for USA Network |url=http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/closing-time-for-usa-network/?_php=true&_type=blogs |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Kathleen |last=McElroy |date=September 4, 2008 |access-date=August 18, 2014}}</ref> The ''[[PGA Tour on USA]]'' covered the opening two rounds of the [[Masters Tournament]] from 1982 to 2007,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com/2010/04/masters-numbers-game.html |title=Ratings For Each Round of The Masters Since '82 (First/Second Rounds Since '99) |date=April 8, 2010 |website=SportsMediaWatch |access-date=April 8, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://classicsportsmedia.blogspot.com/2013/04/history-of-masters-golf-tournament-on.html |title=History of the Masters golf tournament on TV (1956-present) |last1=Haggar |first1=Jeff |date=April 9, 2013 |work=Classic Sports TV and Media |access-date=April 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="ESPN">{{cite web |title=ESPN will show first two rounds of 2008 Masters tournament |website=[[ESPN]] |date=October 10, 2007 |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=3056747 |access-date=March 23, 2008}}</ref> [[Ryder Cup]] matches from 1989 to 2010, and various other events.

The USA Network aired most games of the NFL-run [[NFL Europe|World League of American Football]] (later NFL Europe/Europa) in its first two seasons of operation in 1991 and 1992; one innovation introduced for the network's WLAF telecasts was the in-helmet camera.

Upon the 2004 purchase of Vivendi Universal by NBC, USA's sports division was immediately merged into [[NBC Sports]]. Since [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]], the network has broadcast select events from the [[Olympic Games]], as part of an expansion of NBCUniversal's broadcast rights to the [[Summer Olympic Games|Summer]] and [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]] that allowed several of the company's cable channels rights to telecast Olympic events live (some of which are later re-aired on [[broadcast delay|tape delay]] on NBC as part of the network's primetime and late night Olympic coverage). USA Network also carried games from the [[International Ice Hockey Federation]] in 2006 and 2010.

During the [[2014 Winter Olympics]], USA aired [[Premier League]] [[association football|soccer]] matches in lieu of sister channel [[NBCSN]], due to that channel's full devotion to carrying coverage of Olympic events. After ratings success with those matches, USA began to air mid-afternoon Saturday games weekly during the 2015–16 season. USA also participates in NBC Sports' broader effort of carrying all ten [[Survival Sunday]] matches across its numerous channels during the final matchday of the Premier League season. Starting in 2015, USA Network was similarly incorporated into NBC's coverage of the [[Stanley Cup Playoffs]]. In 2016, USA aired three [[NASCAR on NBC|NASCAR races]] as overflow during the [[2016 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/olympics-will-force-some-nascar-coverage-off-nbc-nbc-sports-669882/ |title=Olympics will force some NASCAR coverage off NBC/NBC Sports |last=Spencer |first=Lee |date=January 26, 2016 |website=[[Motorsport.com]] |access-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130175050/http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/olympics-will-force-some-nascar-coverage-off-nbc-nbc-sports-669882/ |archive-date=January 30, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In September [[2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|2020]], a [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]] [[Notre Dame Football on NBC|football game]] was scheduled for USA Network due to NBC's commitments to the [[2020 U.S. Open (golf)|2020 U.S. Open]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=NBC Sports Teams With Fighting Irish Media, Notre Dame Studios for Live Football Broadcast|url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/09/24/nbc-sports-teams-with-fighting-irish-media-notre-dame-studios-for-live-football-broadcast/|access-date=September 28, 2020|website=Sports Video Group|date=September 24, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Coverage of a [[2020 Clemson vs. Notre Dame football game|primetime game against Clemson on November 7, 2020]], was also briefly moved from NBC to USA Network due to [[NBC News]] coverage of a victory speech by [[2020 United States presidential election|president-elect]] [[Joe Biden]].<ref>{{cite news|date=November 9, 2020|title=Clemson-ND thriller hits high despite election|website=Sports Media Watch|url=https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2020/11/clemson-notre-dame-ratings-nbc-15-year-high-despite-biden-speech/|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref>

With the shutdown of NBCSN at the end of 2021, USA Network once again became the main cable outlet of NBC Sports in 2022, with sports properties such as the Premier League,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Dade |date=November 18, 2021 |title=NBCUniversal Extends Premier League Rights Through 2028 |url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/nbcuniversal-extends-premier-league-rights-2028-1234877114/ |access-date=November 18, 2021 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> NASCAR,<ref name="sbj">{{Cite web|title=SBJ Media: NBC Sports plans shift to USA; NBCSN goes dark Dec. 31|url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/SB-Blogs/Newsletter-Media/2021/11/01.aspx|access-date=November 19, 2021|website=Sports Business Journal|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Kelly |last=Crandall |date=November 2, 2021 |title=NASCAR announces networks and start times for 2022 |url=https://racer.com/2021/11/02/nascar-announces-networks-and-start-times-for-2022/ |website=Racer}}</ref> and the Olympics (including U.S. Olympic trials)<ref>{{Cite web |last=OlympicTalk |date=January 3, 2022 |title=Figure skating nationals, speed skating trials dot winter sports TV schedule |url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2022/01/03/olympic-trials-winter-tv-stream-schedule/ |access-date=March 17, 2022 |website=OlympicTalk {{!}} NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> moving to USA at this time. The [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]], [[U.S. Women's Open]], [[The Open Championship]], and the [[Women's British Open|Women's Open]] would move their early-round telecasts from Golf Channel to USA beginning in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2, 2021 |title=NBC Sports to move some USGA, R&A golf programming to USA Network |url=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/11/02/nbc-sports-to-move-some-usga-ra-golf-programming-to-usa-network/ |access-date=March 17, 2022 |website=Golfweek |language=en-US}}</ref> USA Network also carried eight games as part of the inaugural season of the revived [[United States Football League (2022)|USFL]], and is one of the broadcast partners of the [[SuperMotocross World Championship]] and its [[AMA Supercross Championship|Supercross]] and [[AMA Motocross Championship|Motocross]] feeder series.

From 1984 to 2016, USA Network was the longtime home of the [[Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show]].

=== Professional wrestling ===
USA Network is also the home of the professional wrestling company [[WWE]]. WWE (formerly WWF) has had a longstanding relationship with USA Network going back to 1977 when broadcasts of Madison Square Garden events would air on USA Network. The first weekly WWE show on USA Network debuted on September 4, 1983, with ''[[WWF All American Wrestling]]''. ''[[WWF Prime Time Wrestling]]'' broadcast on USA Network from 1985 to 1993 until it was superseded by WWE's flagship cable program ''[[WWE Raw|Raw]]''. The series originally aired on USA Network from its debut in January 1993 (when the promotion was known as the World Wrestling Federation) until the series moved to [[Paramount Network#The National Network, the New TNN, and professional wrestling (2000–2003)|TNN]] in September 2000, before returning to USA Network in October 2005. 

On January 7, 2016, WWE's second flagship program ''[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]]'' moved to USA Network from [[Syfy]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title='WWE SmackDown' moves to USA Network |url=https://ew.com/article/2015/04/07/usa-network-wwe-smackdown/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823002339/https://ew.com/article/2015/04/07/usa-network-wwe-smackdown/ |archive-date=August 23, 2019 |access-date=November 26, 2019 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> In 2018, USA Network renewed its rights to ''Raw'' for five additional years, but lost the rights for ''SmackDown'' to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] beginning in October 2019. In August 2019, WWE announced that its tertiary weekly program ''[[WWE NXT]]'' would return to USA Network on September 18, 2019, airing on Wednesday nights in a two-hour live format.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia |date=August 20, 2019 |title=WWE's 'NXT' Moves to USA Network as Wrestling Competition Heats Up |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/wwe-nxt-usa-network-deal-1203307413/ |access-date=August 20, 2019 |website=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Swift |first=Andy |date=June 26, 2018 |title=WWE SmackDown Officially Moving to Fox as USA Renews Monday Night Raw |url=https://tvline.com/2018/06/26/wwe-smackdown-moving-fox-2019-monday-night-raw-renewed-usa/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415074832/https://tvline.com/2018/06/26/wwe-smackdown-moving-fox-2019-monday-night-raw-renewed-usa/ |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |access-date=November 26, 2019 |website=TVLine |language=en}}</ref>

In September 2023, it was announced that ''SmackDown'' would return to USA in 2024 under a five-year deal with NBCUniversal, which would also include a slate of four annual primetime specials on NBC per-year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=2023-09-21 |title=WWE's 'Smackdown' to Move From Fox to USA Network in New Rights Deal |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/wwes-smackdown-usa-network-2024-1235730831/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922042349/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/wwes-smackdown-usa-network-2024-1235730831/ |archive-date=September 22, 2023 |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> In November 2023, it was then announced that ''NXT'' would move to [[The CW]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Rick |date=2023-11-07 |title='WWE NXT' Moving to The CW From USA in 2024 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/wwe-nxt-leaving-usa-for-the-cw-1235638788/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107221756/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/wwe-nxt-leaving-usa-for-the-cw-1235638788/ |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> and in January 2024 it was announced that ''Raw'' would move to [[Netflix]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Dade |date=2024-01-23 |title=Netflix Gets In The Ring, Locking Up WWE's 'Monday Night Raw' In 10-Year, $5B-Plus Deal For Longtime TV Staple |url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/netflix-wwe-monday-night-raw-streaming-tv-1235801673/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |work=Deadline}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sherman |first1=Alex |last2=Pramuk |first2=Jacob |date=2024-01-23 |title=Netflix to stream WWE's Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/23/netflix-to-stream-wwes-raw-starting-next-year.html |access-date=2024-01-23 |work=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=2024-01-23 |title=Netflix, WWE Strike Deal to Move 'Monday Night Raw' to Streamer Beginning in 2025 for $500 Million per Year |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/netflix-wwe-monday-night-raw-deal-january-2025-1235882820/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |work=Variety}}</ref>