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GRAND SLAM TRACK(TM), FOUNDED BY FOUR-TIME OLYMPIC CHAMPION MICHAEL JOHNSON, ANNOUNCES MEDIA RIGHTS PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE CW NETWORK AND NBC SPORTS TO PRESENT ITS INAUGURAL SEASON
The CW to Serve as Broadcast Home on Saturday and Sunday of Each Slam
Peacock to Live Stream All Events, Including Exclusive Friday Coverage of Each Slam's Opening Day
Four Live Competitions from Kingston, Jamaica; Miami; Philadelphia; and Los Angeles to Air Live
Featuring Top Athletes from Around the World Going Head-to-Head for the Largest Prize Money Ever Offered in in Professional Track
BURBANK, CA (FEBRUARY 3, 2025) - The CW Network, NBC Sports, and Grand Slam Track(TM), the global home of professional track competition launched in 2024 by four-time Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today announced a groundbreaking three-way partnership that confirms The CW Network will be the exclusive U.S. broadcast home of Grand Slam Track(TM), and that Peacock will be the exclusive streaming home of Grand Slam Track(TM), presenting all four Slams of the inaugural 2025 season live. A highlights special featuring the best moments from the inaugural Grand Slam Track(TM) season will also air on NBC on May 10.
"We're delighted to finally be able to announce this incredibly exciting broadcast and streaming partnership to all our fans in the United States," said Grand Slam Track(TM) Commissioner Michael Johnson. "I'd like to personally thank both our great friends and partners at The CW and NBC Sports for putting together this agreement, which will help us continue to revolutionize the sport of track. We were determined to make sure that Grand Slam Track(TM) would be seen by millions of fans across the country, and we're delighted to be delivering on that promise. We can't wait to get started with our Slams in April; you won't want to miss this."
Grand Slam Track(TM) features a roster of 48 Racers, comprising of the top track athletes from around the world, competing against 48 Challengers in four Slams in Kingston, Jamaica; Miami; Philadelphia; and Los Angeles. Grand Slam Track(TM) has already announced the 48 Racers signed to compete in all four Slams including world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, triple Olympic Gold medalist Gabby Thomas, Olympic 400m Champion Quincy Hall, plus international superstars like Josh Kerr and Marileidy Paulino, with another 48 Challengers still to be announced for each Slam.
Each event is composed of three days of competition from Friday-Sunday. Peacock will stream all action live, and will provide exclusive coverage of the first day of competition of every event, including Grand Slam Track(TM)'s debut, when the innovative league kicks off its inaugural season on Friday, April 4 (6:00-9:00pm ET) from Kingston, Jamaica. The CW will exclusively broadcast all Saturday and Sunday events live across the United States, starting on Saturday, April 5 (6:00-9:00pm ET) and Sunday, April 6 (3:00-6:00pm ET), with those competitions also streaming live on Peacock. The addition of Grand Slam Track(TM) to The CW's ever-growing library of sports properties, including ACC football and basketball, Pac-12 football, WWE NXT, and NASCAR Xfinity Series racing, is sure to excite track fans across the country.
"We are thrilled to welcome Olympic Champion Michael Johnson and the inaugural season of Grand Slam Track(TM) to the CW Sports family," said Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. "Michael and his team have assembled an impressive roster of the top athletes from around the world for intense head-to-head competitions. We look forward to introducing Grand Slam Track(TM) to our broadcast audience and believe it is an exciting addition to our growing roster of sports on The CW."
Grand Slam Track joins a robust array of track & field programming on the platforms of NBC Sports, the exclusive home of the Olympics and primary destination for track & field fans in the United States. Through long-standing partnerships with World Athletics and USA Track & Field, NBC Sports showcases the sport's biggest global and domestic events, such as the World Athletics Championships, USATF Indoor and Outdoor Championships, Prefontaine Classic, and many more.
"Michael Johnson is a legend in the sport, and we're excited to partner with him and the Grand Slam Track(TM) team to deliver his vision to devoted track fans and new audiences on Peacock," said Joe Gesue, Senior Vice President, NBC Olympics & Paralympics Programming. "Following the incredible success of the Paris Olympics, which featured one of the all-time memorable track meets, we're looking forward to this new opportunity to showcase these phenomenal athletes and engage viewers with their dynamic performances and stories."
Grand Slam Track(TM) has assembled a world-class roster of talent from across the globe that will electrify fans in the upcoming season. 48 Racers will compete against 48 Challengers in one of the following event groups: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m). All competitors' final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races. The winner of each Slam event group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place competitor will earn $10,000.
The focus of Grand Slam Track(TM) is on head-to-head competition, not winning times. There will be no rabbits or pacing lights. Each Slam is as equally important as any other, will have its own prize purse, and will be independently scored, with points and previous finishes not carrying over to the following Slams. All Racers will compete twice over the three-day event, and all Slam events will meet World Athletics regulations, with achieved marks being eligible for rankings and standards.
Range Sports, led by David Sternberg, was instrumental in advising Commissioner Johnson and Steve Gera, President of Grand Slam Track(TM), in landing the three-way partnership.
Below is the 2025 broadcast schedule for Grand Slam Track(TM) on The CW & Peacock. Tickets for all four Slams are currently on sale. For further information, please follow @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms and visit grandslamtrack.com.
Grand Slam Track(TM) - Kingston, Jamaica
Friday, April 4 (6:00-9:00pm ET, 3:00-6:00pm PT) - Exclusively on Peacock
Saturday, April 5 (6:00-9:00pm ET, 3:00-6:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Sunday, April 6 (3:00-6:00pm ET, 12:00-3:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Grand Slam Track(TM) - Miami
Friday, May 2 (5:00-8:00pm ET, 2:00-5:00pm PT) - Exclusively on Peacock
Saturday, May 3 (5:00-8:00pm ET, 2:00-5:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Sunday, May 4 (3:00-6:00pm ET, 12:00-3:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Grand Slam Track(TM) - Philadelphia
Friday, May 30 (4:00-7:00pm ET, 1:00-4:00pm PT) - Exclusively on Peacock
Saturday, May 31 (4:00-7:00pm ET, 1:00-4:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Sunday, June 1 (3:00-6:00pm ET, 12:00-3:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Grand Slam Track(TM) - Los Angeles
Friday, June 27 (7:00-10:00pm ET, 4:00-7:00pm PT) - Exclusively on Peacock
Saturday, June 28 (7:00-10:00pm ET, 4:00-7:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Sunday, June 29 (3:00-6:00pm ET, 12:00-3:00pm PT) - Broadcast on The CW, Streaming on Peacock
Full Roster of Grand Slam Track(TM) Signed Racers
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Alexis Holmes, Quincy Hall, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Ackera Nugent, Roshawn Clarke, Nikki Hiltz, Cyréna Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Alison Dos Santos, Ronald Kwemoi, Muzala Samukonga, Hagos Gebrhiwet, Clément Ducos, Oblique Seville, Sasha Zhoya, Marileidy Paulino, Jess Hull, Daniel Roberts, Shamier Little, Marco Arop, Devon Allen, Jasmine Jones, Jereem Richards, Luis Grijalva, Rushell Clayton, Nickisha Pryce, Elise Cranny, Nozomi Tanaka, Salwa Eid Naser, Daryll Neita, Mary Moraa, Agnes Ngetich, Caleb Dean, Diribe Welteji, Freddie Crittenden, Brittany Brown, Zharnel Hughes, & Tsige Gebreselama.
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About The CW Network
The CW is America's fifth major broadcast network and reaches 100% of US television households. The CW delivers 15 hours of primetime entertainment programming per week in addition to nearly 400 hours of sports per year as the broadcast home to ACC football and basketball games, Pac-12 football games, "Inside the NFL," WWE NXT and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The fully ad-supported CW App, with more than 100 million downloads to date, is available for free to consumers on all major platforms and is home to the latest episodes and seasons of The CW's primetime programming and a library of entertaining film and television content for on-demand viewing. The CW is 75%-owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), a leading diversified media company and largest CW affiliate group. For more information about The CW, please visit www.cwtv.com.
About NBC Sports
NBC Sports connects sports fans to the moments that matter most with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. As the sports division of NBCUniversal, NBC Sports produces, programs, and promotes premier content across numerous linear and digital platforms, including NBC and Peacock. NBC Sports possesses an unparalleled collection of media rights agreements, partnering and presenting many of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Big Ten Conference, Notre Dame, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA of America, The R&A, Churchill Downs, Premier League, and many more. It is renowned for making big events bigger and has produced some of the most-watched sporting events in U.S. media history, including Olympic Games, Super Bowls, and Sunday Night Football, primetime television's No. 1 show for 13 consecutive years.
About Peacock
Peacock is NBCUniversal's streaming service providing audiences a singular, unmatched content destination. As one of the most complete streaming products on the market, Peacock offers exclusive breakout original series; more than 8,000 hours of live sports and entertainment programming; hit movies right after theaters from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination; next-day access to all new shows from NBC and Bravo; fan-favorite library content; daily live news; as well as live channels from brands including Hallmark and WWE. Built on the foundation of NBCUniversal with a spirit that is all Peacock, the platform delivers for its audiences with innovative technology, creative partnerships, and entertainment that is truly entertaining.
About Michael Johnson
Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Hall of Fame track and field star, universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships across his career and held world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m races. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win the Gold medal in both the 200m and 400m at the same Olympics. Since retiring from active competition, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as highly sought after performance mindset speaker and an award-winning television commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC's coverage of every Olympics Games since Athens 2004, and remains a key voice on, and advocate for the sport. Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.
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