Grant Wahl @GrantWahl 32m .@sbjsbd reports new MLS/US Soccer deal with ESPN/Fox Sports/Univision worth $90M/year. That would be more than NBC pays PL each year ($83M) No longer a rumor
I've been stewing about this for the past few weeks. I know I don't have any right to complain about the lack of MLS on cable TV as it is available to anyone willing to stump up the coin for MLS Direct Kick on PPV, but for those of us without a local team, we are able to see very little MLS. There are whole weeks that go by without a national game. Again, I shan't complain as if I was that interested, I should shut up and pay for direct kick. As a fan of the US Soccer team, and a growing fan of MLS Soccer primarily based on recent personnel moves Garber has made, I think not having a bigger footprint on out of market cities is a big miss, and I hope this new deal fixes that. We in Atlanta won't have MLS until 2017 at the earliest, so I'll have to pay a massive fee to be able to watch the games I want to see in my home for another 3 years?
Direct Kick looks to be gone in the new deal. The digital rights have moved from MLS control to ESPN. MLS Live cost $60 for the whole year, I don't think that is massive but ymmv We don't yet know what the new digital rights will cost The new deal will have 125 games a season aired on tv, which includes regular season and playoffs. It will be 3 games a week during the regular season. friday nights on Unimas, Sunday at 5 on ESPN and Sunday at 7 on FS1.
MLS Live is worth it. Other than Seattle v New England looking like an 8 bit Nintendo game off and on yesterday the streams have been excellent.
Official announcement: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...ghts-partnerships-espn-fox-univision-deportes
A key word there for me: All As in "ESPN and FOX Sports will split all U.S. Soccer matches" Not just the home matches + Mexico road WCQ. All.
"All" that US Soccer and SUM control and can/do sell. The away matches (WCQs, specifically) will likely still be a separate set of rights (held by the individual CONCACAF national federations) that ESPN/FOX/Univision is not acquiring as part of this domestic deal.
As @tab5g points out, away games are not US Soccer's to sell. Those rights are with the home team's federation.
FOX sports programming head: "The best way to support the USMNT is to support the domestic league." (Preach it!)
The ESPN3 support is huge. This will really enable more people to watch MLS. NBC's streaming of EPL is good, by ESPN3 is so integrated with other platforms that it should be even more accessible. Really looking forward to the increased MLS coverage. Fox doesn't deserve to be in on this deal. Their coverage and production has always appeared second-rate to me, and they really annoyed me by putting a bunch of CCL and UCL on FS2 and Fox Soccer Plus this year (I have neither, and FS2 as I understand it is SD only?). I am also thoroughly unimpressed by their effort to force feed us Gus Johnson as a play-by-play guy, and I dread having him calling USMNT matches.
They were ultra clear in the press conference. *The deal does not include away qualifiers. *They are looking at ways to get the away qualifiers to a larger carrier but that US Soccer does not have control.
What did they mention about the streaming? I can't seem to get ESPN3 where I am very often, much less watchESPN, and I was considering purchasing MLSLive this year, but I'm afraid that if ESPN brings MLS games under ESPN3 then I'll be kinda screwed...
Not much but from articles it appears it will be subscription based under ESPN3/Watch ESPN. Live Streaming rights move to ESPN's control. MLS retains "other" digital rights.
I need to figure out how to get the SAP button to work on Unimas if it works currently, its never worked for me.
They are not contractually obligated to have it (the SAP in English) working now (or earlier) with MLS. Apparently that will be required in the new contract for 2015-22.
Anyone else think 8 years is too long for MLS to sell its broadcasting rights? I have a feeling they will be looking back in 2022 and thinking they lost a bunch of money on this. I am bullish on MLS, with the way they are running it currently and the pace of expansion, as well as the demographics that show soccer becoming increasingly popular in the young male demographic. I wonder if this is negotiable if MLS hits some viewership or attendance mileposts? I know the guaranteed revenue stream is important, but I think this is a bit too long-sighted (and short-sighted all at once) for MLS.
I don't think so. The money we get in 2015 is exactly what we will need to grow to be what you are expecting for 2022. Without it, the projected growth isn't going to happen.
MLS and USSoccer are allowing SUM to follow FIFA's lead. It seems like an ok system of aligning things with WC cycles. If FIFA sold rights in the US in 4-year rather than 8-year chunks, I'm guessing SUM would do the same. I see no real benefit to SUM going just the 4-year route when the 8-year route seems to be working out ok. Maybe that will change come 2023.
Pretty pumped after the press conference and also psyched at how many time "the" MLS was said. I'm a big fan of definite articles
Yes. I think this deal doesn't look nearly as good in the latter half of the deal. Money looks great now but will it look great come 2019?
Can't tell if that emoticon suggested sarcasm, but they don't even call THE NFL, just NFL in this country. It's our manner of speech, not a sign of disrespect to MLS.