NBC SPORTS WEBSITE MERGING BACK INTO MSNBC.COM: Just over a year after NBCSports.com struck out on its own, the Peacock website is returning to its MSNBC roost.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL reports that NBC’s sports site will now be housed on MSNBC’s Internet portal, hoping to increase viewership that’s fallen way below expectations.As an NBC Sports VP admitted, “MSNBC.com drives a lot of traffic. They’re a big front door.”

When NBCSports.com launched as a separate entity in September 2006, almost 900,000 unique visitors stopped by in each of of the site’s first two months of existence.

Since then, readership had declined to the point where site traffic couldn’t be measured, due to falling below “minimum reporting standards for Nielsen Online.”

Of course, Notre Dame’s fumbling football fortunes haven’t helped the situation, either.

So, after trying to compete with the likes of ESPN.com and FoxSports.com, NBCSports.com has flown back to the nuturing nest of an established traffic grabber.

That’s too bad. Maybe more photos of Hayden Panettiere in her “Heroes” outfit could have regenerated more viewers.