This is a timeline of UK television coverage of the four major sports in the USA - the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball.
1980s
1982
7 November – Coverage of American sport gets its first regular coverage on UK television when Channel 4 starts broadcasting American football on a weekly basis.
1983
30 January – Live American Football is seen in the UK for the first time when Channel 4 broadcasts live coverage of Super Bowl XVII.
1984
29 March – Screensport launches and coverage of American sport is a significant part of its output throughout its time on air.
1985
No events.
1986
No events.
1987
29 August – As part of its newly launched overnight schedule, London Weekend Television shows weekly highlights of American sport, including Major League Baseball, IndyCar racing and college football. The coverage is also broadcast on Anglia Television due to Anglia simulcasting LWT's overnight schedule. The coverage ends approximately a year later.
1988
ESPN increases its stake in Screensport from 3.5% to 25.5% after purchasing shares from WHSmith for £4.4 million By this year, the channel's coverage of American sport includesthe NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball.1989 No events.
1990s
1990 No events.
1991 No events.
1992 No events.
1993 Following the demise of Screensport, Sky Sports takes over as the UK's broadcaster of Major League Baseball.
1994 No events.
1995 Sky Sports broadcasts the NFL for the first time.
1996 No events.
1997 31 March – On its first night on air, Channel 5 launches its overnight weekday live and recorded coverage of American sports. The first programme features the opening day of the 1997 Major League Baseball season.
1998 25 January – Channel 4 ends its coverage of American Football when it shows Super Bowl XXXII. This ends a relationship with the sport that had existed since its first week on air. The rights move to Channel 5 and remain with Channel 5 until 2004. March – MLB on Five launches when Channel 5 decides to create a specific programme for its coverage of Major League Baseball.
1999 No events.
2000s
2000 No events.
2001 No events.
2002 5 December – NASN launches to show live and recorded coverage of North American sports.
2003 No events.
2004 June – Channel 5's regular coverage of the National Hockey League ends for two years when the primary broadcast rights move to NASN.2005 January – ITV broadcasts American Football for the first time when it shows the play-offs and the Superbowl. ITV also broadcasts these events in 2006 and 2007 until the rights move to the BBC in 2008.
2006 13 March – NASN buys the rights to show ten live Major League Baseball games a week. September – Channel 5 resumes its coverage of the National Hockey League.
2007 March – ESPN buys NASN and the purchase sees the return of ESPN's flagship magazine shows, such as Baseball Tonight, Around the Horn, The Sports Reporters and Pardon the Interruption, which had not been shown since the previous year after the contract between NASN and ESPN ended. September – The BBC shows coverage of the NFL for the first time. Channel 5 returns to NFL coverage when it signs a two-year deal to broadcast Monday Night Football and NBC Sunday Night Football.
2008 29 October – MLB on Five is broadcast for the final time to coincide with Channel 5 deciding to end its coverage of Major League Baseball due to the Global recession of 2008-09.
2009 1 February – NASN is renamed ESPN America following the sale in late 2006 of the channel to ESPN. 12 June – Channel 5's coverage of the NHL finishes. It also ends its coverage of the NBA at the same time.