Former HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg has struck a deal with NBC Sports Group to produce documentaries for the newly formed NBC Sports Network, NBC Sports announced Thursday.
Greenburg will also produce documentaries for the Golf Channel and NBC, as well as the upcoming series "Costas Tonight," which will reunite him with his former "On the Record and "CostasNOW" collaborator Bob Costas.
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Greenburg enthused that he's "very excited" to work again with Costas, adding that he hopes to "showcase his extraordinary skills as a broadcaster and journalist."
Greenburg, who had been with HBO for 33 years, vacated his post in July. Though the resignation followed the loss of boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao to Showtime, he denied that it was a factor in his departure, saying, "I lived through [Julio Cesar] Chavez and [Mike] Tyson." Ken Hershman, previously the executive vice president and general manager of sports and events programming at Showtime, will step into Greenburg's old HBO spot in January.
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Greenburg's maiden documentary for NBC Sports Group, the hockey offering "Cold War on Ice: Summit Series '72," will air on Jan. 2 — the same day that NBC Sports Network changes its name from Versus. The documentary will chronicle a 1972 hockey series between a team of Canadian NHL All-Stars and the Soviet Union's national team.
NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus called Greenburg a "master storyteller," adding, "his award-winning collaborative relationship with Bob made the decision to retain Ross to oversee production of 'Costas Tonight' a natural.”
"Costas Tonight," which was announced earlier this week, will feature Costas conducting "in-depth, revealing interviews with leading newsmakers in sports and entertainment" and will premiere in spring 2012 on NBC Sports Network.