Universal Sports, the newly formed channel that is a joint venture between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, has landed key deals with outlets in Los Angeles and New York that will boost the rollout of the channel leading up to the Olympic Games.

The channel now will be available to cable subscribers in the New York metro area on Time Warner Cable channel 162, Comcast channel 249, Cablevision channel 110 (Connecticut channel 119), RCN channel 190 and Verizon FiOS channel 864. In Los Angeles, the channel now is available on Time Warner Cable channel 226.

“These launches are the first steps in our aggressive plans to roll out Universal Sports ahead of the start of the Beijing Games,” said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. “Now viewers in New York and Los Angeles can see expanded coverage of the Olympic trials along with Universal Sports’ usual array of World Cup competitions.”

The new deals will provide access for an additional 13 million homes.

The venture, announced in early June, was made to bring NBC Universal programming to what was once known as World Championship Sports Network’s online Olympics audiences. The partnership followed NBCU’s acquisition of a significant stake in WCSN, now Universal Sports, which it controls jointly with InterMedia Partners. Universal Sports content is available in both television network and online platform formats.

With the Beijing Olympics set to begin in August, the channel will continue to focus on Olympic trials, including the track and field trials through July 6 from Eugene, Ore., and swimming trials running through July 6 in Omaha, Neb.

In addition, Universal Sports will air presentations of the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials in gymnastics, diving, softball (USA vs. China), whitewater canoeing, men’s indoor volleyball (USA vs. Argentina), women’s indoor volleyball (USA vs. Brazil), men and women’s marathon, wrestling, judo, women’s weightlifting, rowing, men’s BMX, women’s water polo (USA vs. Australia), men’s water polo (USA vs. Croatia) and boxing.