Tennessee Blue Mike
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http://www.marke****ch.com/story/nbc-sports-signs-up-major-league-soccer-2011-08-10 Scroll down if this link isn't working.
The more the merrier. I hope this is in conjunction with Fox and ESPN. The new network will be a rebranding of THE VERSUS network.
SportsWatch Archives | Email alerts
Aug. 10, 2011, 10:20 p.m. EDT
NBC Sports signs up Major League Soccer
Three-year agreement will see soccer games shown on NBC
By Sam Mamudi, Marke****ch
NEW YORK (Marke****ch) — NBC Universal and Major League Soccer on Wednesday unveiled a media-rights deal that gives the broadcaster valuable live programming and could give domestic soccer a needed boost in profile and audience.
ReutersAction from Sunday’s MLS game between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps.
The pact is the first since NBC, owned by Comcast Corp. /quotes/zigman/89307/quotes/nls/cmcsa CMCSA +2.83% , said it will rebrand its Versus cable channel as the NBC Sports Network in January. The deal will provide it with 38 regular-season games, three playoff games and two U.S. national games each year.
MLS games will also be shown on NBC, with two regular-season games and two playoff matches broadcast on the network — the first time MLS will be on English-language network TV since 2008. NBC will also show two games featuring the U.S. men’s national soccer team.
“We think we can take a property that’s beginning to grow and put it into overdrive,” said Jon Miller, president of programming at NBC Sports and Versus, in an interview. “We’re going to make MLS a much more exposed and well-recognized brand.”
Miller said the MLS will be promoted on NBC, even around games shown on cable rather than the network.
“We have a team, led by John Miller [chief marketing officer of NBC Universal Television Group and head of NBC Sports Agency] that understands the idea of getting behind and growing a brand,” said Miller, the programming chief.
As well as a push from a broadcaster and a broadcast network, the deal dramatically broadens the potential audience for MLS game. Versus is in 76 million homes, while Fox Soccer, which currently shows the most MLS games, is in 40 million homes. Fox Soccer’s one-year deal with the league expires at the end of this season.
“The NBC Sports Group is world-renowned for its award-winning coverage, superb broadcast quality and promotional expertise.” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a statement. “We are excited to be part of NBC’s ambitious plans for soccer and look forward to reaching a considerable audience on multiple platforms.”
The agreement will provide NBC Sports Network with more high-profile programming beyond its National Hockey League coverage. In April, NBC signed a 10-year deal with the NHL which will see 90 regular-season games a year shown on the NBC Sports Network. Read about the NBC-NHL deal.
It may also prove timely, with soccer interest likely to grow in the run up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup — especially with German soccer legend Jurgen Klinsmann coaching the national squad. Read about Klinsmann’s appointment.
As well as the NBC agreement, MLS’ TV deals with ESPN and Univision expire at the end of 2014.
MLS will hope that the a new broadcaster and a broader platform will boost fan interest. While top-level European club soccer is one of the fastest-growing televised sports in the U.S., MLS games have struggled to match those gains. Read about the growth of European soccer in the U.S.
More from this author:
• Follow SportsWatch on Twitter:
twitter.com/MWSportsWatch
• More SportsWatch dispatches
• Marke****ch sports section
• Latest stories by Sam Mamudi
/conga/story/misc/mamudi_sam.html 151543
Despite record-high average attendance at games, ratings on Fox Soccer are flat with last season. MLS games garner roughly one-third of the viewers of English Premier League matches and just over half of those of UEFA Champions League games.
Financial details of the NBC deal weren’t revealed, but Sports Business Journal cited unnamed sources saying it was worth about $10 million a year. The publication said Fox Soccer is paying $6.25 million this season for its MLS games after its previous deal saw it pay $3 million a year. NBC’s NHL agreement was reportedly worth about $200 million year.
/quotes/zigman/89307/quotes/nls/cmcsa
Add CMCSA to portfolio CMCSA
Comcast Corp. Cl A
$ 20.34
+0.56 +2.83%
Volume: 11.73m
Aug. 11, 2011 11:52a
Sam Mamudi is a reporter for Marke****ch, based in New York
The more the merrier. I hope this is in conjunction with Fox and ESPN. The new network will be a rebranding of THE VERSUS network.
SportsWatch Archives | Email alerts
Aug. 10, 2011, 10:20 p.m. EDT
NBC Sports signs up Major League Soccer
Three-year agreement will see soccer games shown on NBC
By Sam Mamudi, Marke****ch
NEW YORK (Marke****ch) — NBC Universal and Major League Soccer on Wednesday unveiled a media-rights deal that gives the broadcaster valuable live programming and could give domestic soccer a needed boost in profile and audience.
Reuters
The pact is the first since NBC, owned by Comcast Corp. /quotes/zigman/89307/quotes/nls/cmcsa CMCSA +2.83% , said it will rebrand its Versus cable channel as the NBC Sports Network in January. The deal will provide it with 38 regular-season games, three playoff games and two U.S. national games each year.
MLS games will also be shown on NBC, with two regular-season games and two playoff matches broadcast on the network — the first time MLS will be on English-language network TV since 2008. NBC will also show two games featuring the U.S. men’s national soccer team.
“We think we can take a property that’s beginning to grow and put it into overdrive,” said Jon Miller, president of programming at NBC Sports and Versus, in an interview. “We’re going to make MLS a much more exposed and well-recognized brand.”
Miller said the MLS will be promoted on NBC, even around games shown on cable rather than the network.
“We have a team, led by John Miller [chief marketing officer of NBC Universal Television Group and head of NBC Sports Agency] that understands the idea of getting behind and growing a brand,” said Miller, the programming chief.
As well as a push from a broadcaster and a broadcast network, the deal dramatically broadens the potential audience for MLS game. Versus is in 76 million homes, while Fox Soccer, which currently shows the most MLS games, is in 40 million homes. Fox Soccer’s one-year deal with the league expires at the end of this season.
“The NBC Sports Group is world-renowned for its award-winning coverage, superb broadcast quality and promotional expertise.” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a statement. “We are excited to be part of NBC’s ambitious plans for soccer and look forward to reaching a considerable audience on multiple platforms.”
The agreement will provide NBC Sports Network with more high-profile programming beyond its National Hockey League coverage. In April, NBC signed a 10-year deal with the NHL which will see 90 regular-season games a year shown on the NBC Sports Network. Read about the NBC-NHL deal.
It may also prove timely, with soccer interest likely to grow in the run up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup — especially with German soccer legend Jurgen Klinsmann coaching the national squad. Read about Klinsmann’s appointment.
As well as the NBC agreement, MLS’ TV deals with ESPN and Univision expire at the end of 2014.
MLS will hope that the a new broadcaster and a broader platform will boost fan interest. While top-level European club soccer is one of the fastest-growing televised sports in the U.S., MLS games have struggled to match those gains. Read about the growth of European soccer in the U.S.
More from this author:
• Follow SportsWatch on Twitter:
twitter.com/MWSportsWatch
• More SportsWatch dispatches
• Marke****ch sports section
• Latest stories by Sam Mamudi
/conga/story/misc/mamudi_sam.html 151543
Despite record-high average attendance at games, ratings on Fox Soccer are flat with last season. MLS games garner roughly one-third of the viewers of English Premier League matches and just over half of those of UEFA Champions League games.
Financial details of the NBC deal weren’t revealed, but Sports Business Journal cited unnamed sources saying it was worth about $10 million a year. The publication said Fox Soccer is paying $6.25 million this season for its MLS games after its previous deal saw it pay $3 million a year. NBC’s NHL agreement was reportedly worth about $200 million year.
/quotes/zigman/89307/quotes/nls/cmcsa
Comcast Corp. Cl A
$ 20.34
+0.56 +2.83%
Volume: 11.73m
Aug. 11, 2011 11:52a
Sam Mamudi is a reporter for Marke****ch, based in New York
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