MLS Announces Multi-Year Linear TV Deal For Select Matches

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Major League Soccer today announced new, four-year linear television agreements with FOX Sports and TelevisaUnivision in the US, plus TSN and RDS in Canada.

Linear broadcasts will include select matches for the MLS regular season, Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, MLS Cup and Leagues Cup. The deals run from 2023 through 2026, when the FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This agreement with FOX Sports ends a decades long partnership MLS had with ESPN.

“We’re proud to extend our longstanding partnership with Major League Soccer at a truly exciting time for the sport here in the United States,” shares Eric Shanks, CEO & Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “There is no soccer league in the world better positioned for growth and with FOX’s unrivaled reach we are fired up to be a part of it.”

These new agreements complement a transformative 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple, starting next year with MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, where every live MLS match will also be available. Subscriptions to MLS Season Pass start on Feb. 1 and will feature innovative programming and broadcasts. A selection of MLS and Leagues Cup matches, including some of the biggest playoff matchups, will also be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers.

“We are proud to continue our partnerships with FOX Sports, Univision and TSN, and we are pleased to have MLS matches on RDS in Canada,” adds MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “These broadcast industry leaders continue to demonstrate their deep commitment to MLS and soccer.

“Our linear agreements, along with our partnership with Apple, are the culmination of a series of collaborative discussions to provide our fans with the most expansive and accessible lineup of programming MLS and our sport in the U.S. and Canada have ever seen–and by a significant margin.”

Linear Network Partnerships: FOX Sports (USA – English and Spanish language)

  • 34 regular-season games annually and eight Audi MLS Cup playoff matches each season on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes
  • 15 regular-season matches each year on FOX (the most ever by one English language over-the-air network in MLS history)
  • MLS Cup every year on FOX and FOX Deportes
  • Leagues Cup: 10 Group Stage, four Round of 32, and two Round of 16 matches each tournament on FS1
  • Highlight rights, editorial coverage, and cross-marketing support

 

TelevisaUnivision (USA – Spanish language):

  • Leagues Cup: 21 matches each tournament on Univision/UNIMÁS/TUDN, which includes:
    • 12 Group Stage matches
    • 8 Knockout Round matches
    • Leagues Cup Final
  • MLS: MLSsoccer.com’s Spanish-language website will live on TelevisaUnivision’s platform for the duration of the agreement. TelevisaUnivision will also have MLS highlights and substantial editorial coverage.

 

TSN (Canada – English language):

  • Extensive schedule of regular-season matches, eight MLS Cup playoff matches, and MLS Cup each season
  • One match per week featuring a Canadian club
  • Leagues Cup: 12 Group Stage and four Round of 32 matches each tournament
  • Highlight rights, editorial coverage, and cross-marketing support

 

RDS (Canada – French language):

  • Extensive schedule of regular-season matches, eight MLS Cup playoff matches, and MLS Cup each season
  • One match per week featuring a Canadian club
  • Leagues Cup: Three Group Stage and four Round of 32 matches on RDS
  • Highlight rights, editorial coverage, and cross-marketing support
Steven Boero
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