The 2026 MLS TV Thread

Destroying the beautiful game. Surely this is Garber's doing.

 

Yes. It was simulcast on ITV (channel 3).

 

Low key The Killers pre-game concert for @ChampionsLeague is what we should all expect for SB Halftime shows. Fan service, crowd singing along… vibes pic.twitter.com/8dasD3LkAI

— Ball Watching: a St. Louis CITY SC Podcast (@BallWatchingSTL) May 30, 2026

 

MAGA-coded tweet?

The Killers were once determinedly apolitical – here’s how Trump’s America finally broke them

Thx,

Jay!

 

What part of that would be MAGA coded?

 

How The Killers didn’t generate the “controversy” of Bad Bunny: “what we should all expect.”

Maybe the tweeter should find out how the pregame concert went over with European football supporters…

Thx,

Jay!

 

The media I've seen has been positive about the show.

 

The socials are full of “please stop Americanizing the beautiful game.”

Thx,

Jay!

 

Which ignores that they've been doing this at the Champions League final for a decade. Alicia Keys was the first in 2016.

 

They’re probably the types who have to comment “it’s called football” at every opportunity.

 

Where are all the MLS haters to make a comparison between this deal and the previous one.

 

MAGA commented on Bad Bunny and set up an alternative halftime show.

MAGA didn’t comment on the Killers, 99.9999% chance because MAGA doesn’t care about the Champions League, and didn’t set up an alternative halftime show.

Not everything has to be about MAGA and American politics, ESPECIALLY the finals of the EUROPEAN club season.

 

The Euronazis don't have as much reach as MAGA?

 

Those are just the OG regular Nazis, right? (And Fascists, too, for that matter.)

 

UEFA CL averaged 3.1M viewers:

CBS Sports says Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final between PSG and Arsenal was the most-watched club soccer match in US English-Language TV history:

Averaged 3.087 million viewers on CBS. Peaked at 3.93M during PKs.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) June 2, 2026

Same as the inaugural MLS Cup match back in 1996.

 

In the UK 7 million watched the first paywalled UCL final legally and another 16.2M illegally.

 

I watched the game on Univision adding to this number.

 

So the other year or maybe it was the one prior to that MLS did some things with I Show Speed during the All Star Week festivities I believe. Some social media stuff. A fair number of us old heads were like WTF is this about?!?!?!

Fast forward to present day and:

🚨 Rio Ferdinand on why IShowSpeed might have accidentally done something most footballers and musicians can only dream of:

“People laugh at Speed because he’s loud, chaotic and completely unpredictable.

But I think football fans underestimate what he’s become.

This isn’t just… pic.twitter.com/SgG8qgyS3j

— BLXNK FOOTY 🥅 ⚽ (@blxnkisblxnk) June 3, 2026

Whether want want to admit it or not, what people once considered to be the media landscape has changed and is rapidly changing. I have no idea what it will look like in the next 5-10 years. One thing I'm fairly confident about, is that the legacy media and cable TV aren't going to look like they did 5 years ago, let alone 10-15 years ago.

 

There's no way that's a real quote because it was clearly written by AI. The whole thing is just a series of "it isn't just this, it's that."

 

Well, listening to Counter Attack today and FIFA is releasing an album that they have partnered with artist for the World Cup.
https://inside.fifa.com/organisatio...official-album-biggest-world-cup-2026-history

 

If Rio Ferdinand promotes it he's probably being paid to do it.

After criticizing the Saudi Pro League, suggesting it was corrupt, they hired him a their spokesman. Changed his mind real quick.

 

LaLiga averaged a record 91,000 viewers across ESPN nets this season, while the latest El Clàsico drew 1.3 million viewers…prime example of ESPN’s current issue.

It’d be really helpful if ESPN2 had a weekly match window or something. There’s no consistency. Same for Bundesliga. https://t.co/3qvJ2k0r4F

— Braylon Breeze (@Braylon_Breeze) June 4, 2026

 

Remember to 🙄 the next time you hear soccer is popular in the US just not MLS.
News today La Liga who ESPN pays $175m yr had its best viewed year, in yr 5 of 8 yr deal avg 91k🧐 across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPND.

MLS in 2022 its last yr w/Disney avg 343k. https://t.co/qFFdqoaMOS

— Edwin Games (@EdwinGames4) June 4, 2026

During the streaming wars of the late 2010s and early 2020s, American broadcasters were paying big bucks for European soccer. Serie A got $75M/year from CBS in '21. That's now closer to $10M as it extends for another year in a much tougher market. https://t.co/isf0Xt44Ve

— Alex M. Silverman🏒⚽️ (@AlexMSilverman) June 4, 2026

 

For those complaining about MLS on Apple TV picture quality:

ABC/ESPN broadcasting the NBA Finals in 2026 in 720p resolution is criminal negligence. Especially after the high visual quality that was on display this past Saturday for the Western Conference Finals that were on NBC/Peacock. This video quality looks atrocious on big screen…

— Jaxson Reid (@JaxsonReid2) June 4, 2026

 

Good information, probably Busdesliga, NWSL, and USL does worse than La Liga.