Just as it is trying to keep its English Premier League rights, the NBC Sports Group said Thursday that it will carry 40 weekend games on the USA Network, adding to the matches that will continue on NBC and NBCSN. The first match on USA will be Saturday between Everton and Watford at 10 a.m. Eastern, the time that most USA games will compete against a game on NBCSN.

“We determined that USA should be a key figure when we have a product that could use additional distribution,” said Mark Lazarus, the chairman of the NBC Sports Group. “We may put some Premier games on USA,” to take advantage of its edge in subscribers. USA has about 10 million more subscribers than NBCSN’s 85 million. Last season, NBC placed N.H.L. playoff games on USA.

The 40 games going to USA came out of the Premier League Extra Time package of matches that were not shown on NBC or NBCSN but were available on channels provided by television distributors.

NBC’s announcement that it will use USA to broaden its Premier League reach came the same day that it and its rivals, Fox and ESPN, submitted bids for the league’s next contract that begins next season. Each network was asked to submit bids for three- and six-year contracts — the latter the preference for media giants who have been signing rights deals of eight years and more. The league wants one network to take the package rather than let two networks share it. And it has told the networks that the highest offer must exceed the second-highest by at least 15 percent to avoid a second round of bids.