$90 million per year.
That was the combined price tag for ESPN, FOX, and Univision to secure MLS and USSF programming, and the deal lasts 8 years.
After months of waiting for the big money TV deal for Major League Soccer, the league announced with great fanfare the next accord in American soccer media rights.
This deal dwarfs the monies from the previous deal and is a definite boon to MLS. There are some nuances to this deal which have left some worried, but this will largely help fans find games more easily and also provide free access to more people.
The Big Change – Digital rights
The point that has often been downplayed in this new deal is the digital rights, but the future is now when it comes to streaming.
People continue to cut the cord to cable, but even cable-subscribing MLS fans (myself included) have shelled out the $60 per year for MLS Live and streamed matches.
Guess what? You won’t have to pay for that extra access anymore.
ESPN was able to up the ante enough in this media deal to convince MLS to cede the out-of-market rights. If you want to watch NYCFC travel to Portland next year, and it’s not nationally televised, ESPN3 will be the place to go.
Contrary to what some believe, if you have internet access, you can access ESPN3 content from your laptop with almost any ISP. If you want to watch live ESPN channels online, you need authentication from your cable provider. But streaming ESPN3 is free for Internet users.
We will have to wait and see this implemented to be sure about the nationally televised games. Things could change and require you to get a subscription for WatchESPN to stream an ESPN2 match, and all bets are off when it comes to Fox Sports Go if it’s on Fox Sports 2. That doesn’t help the cord-cutters, but then again, ratings still matter, and it would make sense that the networks prefer you watch it via the traditional cable route.
For those with WatchESPN, there are a plethora of devices to help you stream matches.
Standardized times
The biggest talking point thus far has been the commitment from ESPN, FOX, and Univision to air weekly games in static time slots. Here’s the scoop:
- Univision will broadcast a game on Friday nights, at either 7 or
1011 PM ET (including English commentary on the SAP band) - The ESPN game will begin at 5 PM ET on Sundays.
- FOX’s game will follow immediately at 7 PM.
While some will point out the certain clashes with the NFL on Sundays in the fall, it’s tough not to find a conflict at some point. Saturdays bring college football. Eventually, MLS has to take the bigger leagues head on, something that may not be easy for a former NFL guy like Don Garber.
Potential pitfalls for the deal
This deal does have some potential pitfalls though.
- Getting dirty: MLS seems a bit timid in the open market at times. This new deal shows the mindset may be changing, but how MLS uses these new dollars could mean the difference between significant growth and severe disappointment. To borrow a John Hackworth-ism, the league needs to get “Philly Tough” in this marketplace, which is becoming evermore crowded with content. This is a street fight now, and Don Garber should not pull punches when it comes to convincing Americans that MLS is worthy of their viewing hours.
- FOX must get their act together: You can read the glowing reviews of the Premier League on NBC and understand why the fans of MLS gave a collective groan when FOX was announced as a partner in this deal. With FOX having so much money tied up in MLS and future World Cup rights, everyone hopes they take soccer as serious as NBC has.
- Fox Sports 2? There is no provision in this deal that prevents FOX from putting their MLS matches on Fox Sports 2. The distribution is limited for Fox Sports 2, and with Comcast being the primary cable provider in Philadelphia, many of you don’t get FS2 at the moment. Either FS2 needs to find its way onto more systems, or MLS has to improve its ratings to give FOX reason to keep it on the primary network.
- The CBA: Now that this is settled, more money = more money for players, right? How much can the MLS Players Association leverage this deal to wring more money out of the owners? Will the owners not be willing to budge? Is a work stoppage a serious possibility?
Some are issues short term (the CBA), others with a longer view. In any case, this is an exciting development for fans of the domestic game, and now it’s time for MLS to figure out how to grow the league (and the sport) in the USA.
I know the MLS doesn’t get the whole $90 million a year, but with this money, they have to raise the minimum salary and start taking some constraints off this league. If they don’t, in 8 years when this is up, this league will be in a bad place.
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All in all, any TV deal that is 5x as much as the previous one, with a commitment from multiple networks, can’t be a bad thing.
This was brought up at the press conference. They said that the players have to wait until the next CBA talks to bargain for it.
Yeah I saw that… My point was that I think it will be impossible to not give them a significant raise. Meaning now if they play hardball (MLS that is), they will really only be hurting themselves. Imagine the option of another DP for every team, and minimum salaries that aren’t a joke… with things like that, this could resemble something of a legitimate league, as Mr. Garber has suggested it should by that time.
As an aside…..
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Can someone please explain to me how Carlos Tevez does not make Argentina’s World Cup team. Did they not watch him at Juve this season. I did, every single game and he was awesome. No- not awesome. Awesome! A generally over used word awesome, but not in the case of Carlos Tevez. He is awesome. No disrespect to Gonzalo Higuain but Tevez is a top 3 striker in the world.
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What a good problem to have. Maybe we could grant him US citizenship for just a quick burst in the early summer as I split hairs watching Mr Altidore hold up the ball, yes, but scramble for angles of movement in the box…..
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My guess is if Argentina do not meet expectations it is more likely to suspect defending than goal scoring but I feel sorry for the coach if goal scoring is an issue.
Not sure how Nasri doesn’t make France’s squad either?!
hint: same reason for both players
They’re a pair of wankers?
ESPN3 is NOT free to internet users. It is only usable if your ISP is an affiliated partner. If its not, like mine you will not be able to watch the out of market games
Exactly right, Rob.
Right. It’s free if your ISP is linked up. Most are. Which ISP do you have?
This is an issue MLS needs to hammer out with ESPN. They can’t afford to leave longtime consumers of MLS Live in the dark. The league should have received assurances that there would be a backdoor method (presumably an affordable paywall) for the non-affiliates.
Sadly, with those fall conflicts, American football will always win on Fox ….something tells me that this was preemptive on their part, so that someone else could not offer more- protecting their investment. It , in a way, allows them to control the grow of the mls…. ymmv, of course.