A deal is hatched!

The World Figure Skating Championships will have a new home come March 2009...NBC.

NBC has agreed to be the U.S. broadcaster for the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles, sources said today. NBC would not confirm the deal, but spokesman Adam Freifeld said, "We take programming meetings with potential partners, and we have met with the ISU."

However, NBC hasn't picked up the Grand Prix Series however (with the exception of Skate America) so Americans may have to do without that series and the Grand Prix Final (Europeans and Four Continents Cup as well). At the very least we'll get to see the premiere Figure Skating as we gear up towards Vancouver in 2010.

And that is, perhaps, exactly why NBC choose to pick up the event. It's a way for NBC to begin building interest in its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Also, solid numbers from last months U.S. Figure Skating Championships shows renewed interest in Figure Skating with several stars on the rise. Zhang, Flatt, and Nagasu may all have the opprotunity to make their World Figure Skating Championships debut!

Now if we could could just get the rest of the figure skating calendar covered...I guess there's always YouTube!