NBC Sports Moving to Former Clairol Site in Stamford

Gov. Dannel Malloy confirmed Tuesday that NBC Sports has signed a $100 million deal to build studio, production and office space at the former Clairol building on Blachley Road.

that NBC Sports would be relocating its offices from New York City to Stamford, however the until the Governor’s announcement today.

As per a release, NBC Sports Group will be the fourth company to take advantage of the state’s “First Five” economic development program. Other companies participating in the program, announced this summer, include CIGNA, TicketNetwork and ESPN.

“This is a terrific project for the city and state, and one that I am proud to support as the fourth ‘First Five,’” Gov. Malloy said in the release. “The companies that are participating in this economic development program are job producers, and NBCUniversal has been doing that since it first arrived in Connecticut.”

“Stamford has been home to NBCUniversal television production since 2008 when it retrofitted the in downtown to create the Stamford Media Center,” he added. “As Mayor of Stamford at the time, I was supportive of the city and state assistance for the project because I understood its potential. I am strongly supportive of this expansion in Stamford because we continue to see the positive impact in the local economy and on the workforce.”

NBC Sports Group, a division of NBCUniversal, will consolidate much of its northeast operations, including its existing Connecticut workforce, at the sprawling facility. Construction of the new studio, offices and related spaces will begin in the fall next year. The move is expected to bring about 450 jobs to Stamford, initially, and more in the future as NBC Sports grows, according to the release.

Once completed the new facility will be home to NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBC Sports Digital, VERSUS (which will be renamed NBC Sports Network come January), and the Comcast Sports Management Group, which oversees the NBC Sports Group’s 14 regional networks. What’s more NBC Sports Group “will use the site to construct numerous state-of-the-art studios to house the company’s growing need for studio content,” according to the release. In addition there are plans to eventually build a separate studio for the NHL Network that will house most of the network’s personnel and add more jobs above the 450 already promised.

“This new campus is about bringing people together to maximize production, creativity and efficient teamwork,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group, in the release. “We are creating one 32-acre unique location that allows us to build numerous state-of-the-art studios, house more than 450 employees, and prepare for anticipated future growth. However, this initiative would not have been possible without the financial support of Governor Malloy’s ‘First Five’ program and the local support provided by Mayor Pavia, who we look forward to working with for many years to come."

As per the deal, which includes a 10-year lease with the property owners, the state Department of Economic and Community Development will furnish a $20 million loan to NBC Sports Group for construction costs through the “First Five” program.

The program is “designed to attract large-scale business development projects by augmenting and combining the state’s best incentive and tax credit programs for the first five companies that create 200 new jobs within two years, or invest $25 million and create 200 new jobs within five years,” according to the release.