MLS & NBC Sports have agreed on a 3-year deal

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by CenterForward, Aug 10, 2011.

  1. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ESPN this week.
     
  2. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thank you good sir!
     
  3. tab5g

    tab5g Member+

    May 17, 2002
    This.

    MLS/SUM and their national tv partners are probably wise to "expand the tv footprint" of the league within the weekend viewing hours.

    nationally televised games on Fridays and Sundays are an excellent complement to the "bulk" of MLS games played on Saturdays (even if that means that some/many Saturdays go by without a nationally televised game -- for the US audience that doesn't subscribe to DK).

    and next weekend, NBCSN will have both a Friday and a Saturday night game. and that's in addition to their coverage of the Olympic qualifying semifinal match, assuming the USA advanced from their group. (although NBCSN will have no MLS games on the following weekend, Easter.)
     
  4. MLSFan123

    MLSFan123 Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Boston Area
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There is a direct tie between this and the attendance growth.

    It is much easier to show a non Saturday game on TV than it was years ago when you could be faced with a very small crowd which does not help promote your product.

    Now they can show Portland on a Monday, Seattle on a Friday, KC on a Wednesday and be assured of a great looking crowd which helps the atmosphere when watching on TV.
     
  5. HailtotheKing

    HailtotheKing Member+

    San Antonio FC
    United States
    Dec 1, 2008
    TEXAS
    Club:
    San Antonio Scorpions FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If you didn't compare them, what was the point of mentioning the NBA/NHL all over cable ? And while we're not comparing things why should NBA/NHL/NFL fans have to buy League Pass/Center Ice/Sunday Ticket ?

    It takes more than just the league, to promote the league. You say they need to do more .... well, they did. They got out from under Fox who refused to promote/cross-promote the league and took less money in order to get on a network that would do exactly that .... promote the league.

    Pay attention.
     
  6. Gamecock14

    Gamecock14 Member+

    May 27, 2010
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    I think NBC coverage is a positive for the league. IMO It does look like more effort went into this than FSC.

    However, I believe teams that have local tv stations such as Real Salt Lake and Philly that show some of their games is very positive for the league. It gets games into homes on a channel that a random person will actually flip to. IMO it also shows that the team has somewhat entered into the city's major sports teams.

    I also think TV deals like the Galaxy where a lot of money is invested is very good for the team and the league in securing future deals.

    The lowball Tv deals in some markets that use regional cable sports channels are not as good for the league and show a general lack of interest in the region for the team to be shown.
     
  7. triplet1

    triplet1 BigSoccer Supporter

    Jul 25, 2006
    Best point on Big Soccer in weeks.

    For a TV audience, I think the presentation of the performance is tremendously important. Now, if it's your team perhaps you'll watch them no matter what the broadcast looks like, but for a neutral with lots of other choices, I'm more likely to watch a game at Portland than Dallas -- and I've given up on watching games in New England altogether.

    I'm sorry if that offends people, the purists who want me to look only at the blurry picture to determine the quality of play and dismiss the rest, but I suspect I'm not alone.

    We all learned this in grade school -- how you present your work matters. Maybe it shouldn't, but it does.

    Some MLS venues do look good on TV -- I agree with those you listed, and I think Kansas City is another one. To me, if the stadium is reasonably full, if the supporters groups are energetic and the broadcast lets me see and hear some of it, it makes for much more enjoyable viewing. OTOH, if the crowd is sparse or the seats behind the goals have been removed (and with it the crowd reaction and celebration), it's not as good a game to watch. I don't know whether that's because the players feed off the energy of the crowd or the TV broadcast can't capture (or enhance) the live presentation, but some MLS venues just don't televise well and if I was NBCSN, I'd avoid them.

    If you want an example of really good presentation, look at Sky. Not long ago, I took my college aged sons to a Chelsea match. Live football is always fun, but all three of us came away from Stamford Bridge a touch disappointed with the in-stadium experience, but with tremendous admiration for Sky's production that we have been watching in our living room for years. In many respects -- how they mix the crowd noise in particular -- Sky has shown the game and the stadium to maximum advantage, covering up the warts. Sky really gives you the best seat in the house, which was better that day than the seats we had.

    I don't think this is an impossibly high bar that only Seattle and Portland can achieve -- again, Philly and Kansas City can do it, and a half dozen others can look good when they have a large crowd, but getting to that level consistently would really improve the telecasts IMO.
     
  8. trip76

    trip76 Member

    Jul 17, 2007
    North East USA
    you do understand that soccer in general, and MLS doubly so, does not even approach the popularity of the established "top 4" sports right?

    you mine as well ask why isn't MLS getting $1 Billion+ TV deals like the other sports. answer that, and you answer you questions and complaints about MLS broadcast availability.

    or, you can compare where MLS was in regard to broadcast just 5 years ago, where it was 10 years ago, and where it was 15 years ago to where it is today, and where it is likely to be in 5 years, and be content with the remarkable progress its made, and encouraged by where it most likely is headed.

    but by all means, stamp your foot with a pouty lower lip quivering, and continue complaining that all MLS games aren't available for free on network TV or whatever degree of the ridiculous and unreasonable it is specifically your bitching about.
     
  9. NJ Red Bulls

    NJ Red Bulls New Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    I will be at that game.

    I guess what I'm saying is that MLS and NBC has a 3 year contract. I think that's a good move for MLS, but MLS should have negotiated an agreement that at least 1 game be shown on Saturday and 1 game be shown on Sunday.

    NBCsports programming:

    MLS games on Saturday at 4:000 eastern time (2) - snowmobile racing (T)
    - "The Road to Kentucky derby
    8:30/9:00/10:00 (3) -Boxing rerun
    - 1/2 hr show (Jab Zudah)
    - Boxing (live)

    Seems to me a soccer game could be fit in there.
     
  10. NJ Red Bulls

    NJ Red Bulls New Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
     
  11. NJ Red Bulls

    NJ Red Bulls New Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    There are some people here who will argue anything just to argue.
    I'm saying that I'd like to see more MLS games on tv. How can any MLS fan argue against that?
     
  12. HailtotheKing

    HailtotheKing Member+

    San Antonio FC
    United States
    Dec 1, 2008
    TEXAS
    Club:
    San Antonio Scorpions FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Existing contracts, pecking order, etc.

    MLS =/= NFL. They don't call the shots in these types of negotiations. At least, not those kind of shots.

    That doesn't answer the questions.

    In your response, you did indeed compare them though. At least, the coverage of said leagues anyway.
     
  13. Stan Collins

    Stan Collins Member+

    Feb 26, 1999
    Silver Spring, MD
    In general, fans will also only want to watch a bunch of out-of-market games if they already like the sport. Let's cross this bridge when we've gotten to the point where a good number of fans are watching in-market games.
     
  14. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There are more games on national TV for MLS than there have been in the past. And on more accessable channels, now that NBCSN is in the picture over FSC (though more Galavision instead of Telefutura is a step in the opposite general).

    Also, at some point, if you have too many games on national TV, it weakens local TV contracts for individual teams because they don't have the inventory to sell.
     
  15. HailtotheKing

    HailtotheKing Member+

    San Antonio FC
    United States
    Dec 1, 2008
    TEXAS
    Club:
    San Antonio Scorpions FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Having more of the the country's #1 Spanish-language cable network is backwards step how ? I'm curious.


    ==============================

    EDIT - Oh, and in terms of promotion ... I saw the "ALL RISE" MLS commercial on freaking G4 last night.
     
  16. trip76

    trip76 Member

    Jul 17, 2007
    North East USA
    no, you were laying blame on MLS for not maneuvering a better deal, better deal as defined by what you've complained about here in this thread, and seemed happy to ignore the fact that MLS probably got just about as good a deal as they possibly could with the current amount of leverage they have.

    if you had made a comment solely about how you wished there was more MLS available, nobody would have had much to say to you.
     
  17. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Because more people get Telefutura in their homes than Galavision. Maybe I'm not correct, but by and large anyone who gets Galavision would have access to Telefutura. But a lot of people with Telefutura do not get Galavision.
     
  18. evangel

    evangel Member+

    Apr 12, 2007
    Telefutura is an over the air network in much of the country. Galavision is not.

    I wish we could eventually get a few games on Univision.
     
  19. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  20. HailtotheKing

    HailtotheKing Member+

    San Antonio FC
    United States
    Dec 1, 2008
    TEXAS
    Club:
    San Antonio Scorpions FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In terms of the Spanish audience, Galavision is the better way to go even if Telefutura is in more households. Galavision is in 52m or so households. Don't know the number for Telefutura. I do know, that Galavision blows all other Spanish cable networks out of the water and way more of that audience tunes into Galavision.

    They're both owned by Univision though .... and even though I get them all, I could turn my tv to Telefutura or Galavision right now, but not the actual Univision channel ...
     
  21. SoCalYid

    SoCalYid Member+

    Jun 11, 2011
    BigSoccer :)
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I just got Galavision in HD, so they're alright with me. :)
     
  22. opal347

    opal347 BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 18, 2005
    Clinton Twp, MI
    Club:
    Michigan Bucks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It all depends on your location as to which channels you get. I have Univision (OTA), I have Galavision on cable, but I don't get Telefutura. So, at least for me, that move this year was a win.
     
  23. RaveGreen

    RaveGreen Member

    Seattle Sounders FC
    Apr 6, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders

    Not in Seattle.

    There is no Telefutura local affiliate here (though we do have Univision).

    So if you want to get Telefutura you have to buy the Latino package on cable or Satellite to get their national feed.

    Galavision however is carried on basic cable/satellite because it is the #1 Latino cable channel in the nation.

    I am sure there are many other parts of the US that don't get Telefutura but have Galavision on basic cable/satellite.
     
  24. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, that's interesting. Definitely not the case in DC where we get Telefutura OTA (and on basic cable packages) but don't get Galavision unless you get the Spanish package (Baltimore is the same way, though you probably couldn't get the Telefutura OTA because it originates from DC, though it's still included on basic cable packages). I'm surprised you'd get Galavision with basic cable/satellite -- I would think that any package that included Galavision would also include Telefutura.

    Does anyone have the number for households with Galavision vs those with Telefutura? I'd still have to think that Telefutura is in far more homes.
     
  25. tigersoccer2005

    tigersoccer2005 Member+

    Dec 1, 2003
    North Bergen, NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In the NYC area we get Univision. Telefutura, and Telemundo (which is a different network family) over the air but Galavision on most NYC cable and satellite carriers only comes with the spanish package not with basic cable.
     

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