Thanks. My older Google searches just had them through 2012-13. Having said that, GolTV is basically done as a business and will likely try to dispose whatever properties they current possess.
Not a paranoid conspiracy, simply a concern. And it is not just a question of squeezing games in but also a matter of expenditure. It is a matter of being a tier one provider. If NBCSN doesn't want to go the route of being the primary network that leaves only ESPN realistically in the mix with Fox a second choice. Frankly it behooves MLS to have all three in the equation for tier one rights. Thanks for the hockey schedule though, since they don't play for three months every few years during CBA negotiations it can be hard to follow.
TSN announced they got the EPL rights for 2013 - 16 in Canada. SportsNet used to have those rights. TSN is also the national broadcaster of MLS. EDIT = Looks like the rights have been split 50/50. Makes sense, in that SportsNet really needs content for their four sports channels.
Ugh, ditto this. I'm wondering if GOLTV might be swept up by the new beIN network, Fox, or someone else ... seems the more likely scenario and would likely bring along with it the contracted programming. I'd love if it were Fox honestly.
A few thoughts, mostly agreeing with others' takes, but hey: 1) Yeah, it seems NBCSN + ESPN + FSC(/+) + beIn + GOLTV is about two players too many in this market (for English language anyway), given the properties that have any value (which are really only WC/Int'ls, EPL, UCL, MLS). 2) This is kind of a good thing, though, as it's more bandwidth chasing content. MLS may not have the most premium of content, but it does have content that a core of fans want to watch (and one that seems to be growing over time), so it looks like there will be some competition to capture it. 3) When MLS timed the NBC deal to end at the same time as the ESPN deal, the stated purpose was to have an exclusive provider be an option. And I think they're going to want to keep that option open, but it doesn't look to me like the market conditions favor that outcome--I'm thinking it will probably be more lucrative to MLS in the end to have a couple of outlets looking to keep a foot in the soccer picture each getting a piece of the contract. (And I might not have said that 18 months ago.) I think, on balance at 10,000 foot level, this seems to wind up being a good thing. Generally, whatever increases exposure for the sport increases the 'size of the pie' so that even if the MLS market-share is static, (which if polling data is to be believed is basically what happens; MLS's popularity tends to grow along with international soccer) the bottom line grows. I could draw up a bad-case scenario where NBCSN stays a pretty niche outlet, focuses more effort on EPL than MLS, and ESPN decides to cut its losses on the sport having been outbid for basically everything. It's far-fetched to think all that actually comes to pass, though.
NHL fans are also split on how this deal will affect them, however the second link is much more legit. His 'Puck The Media' blog is basically the MLS TV Ratings thread. NHL Lockout: Will NBC's Premier League Purchase Jeopardize NHL Coverage? NHL, EPL will make solid partners on NBC