User:Mikeylito/MLS on ESPN

Major League Soccer on ESPN incorporates the series of broadcasts of the league on various U.S. ESPN cable networks in addition to those of ABC Sports, the sports division of broadcast network ABC.

As part of the current broadcast agreement between Major League Soccer and its network partners, ESPN Networks and Fox Sports each contracted to broadcast 34 weekly matches in an assigned broadcast window. In addition to the weekly broadcast window, each broadcast group gained the right to transmit their broadcasts on their respective digital broadcast service.

Additionally, ESPN Networks was granted the right to develop an over-the-top content (OTT) service comprised of all out-of-market broadcasts of any MLS match not part of the MLS Soccer Sunday broadcasts nor those of Viernes de Futbol, the Friday evening presentation of MLS on the networks of Univision. Although the service was intended to begin with the 2015 MLS season in the first year of the new agreement, ESPN decided it could not logistically offer the service that year and MLS continued to offer its MLS Live digital service as it had previous seasons.

MLS Soccer Sunday
{{Infobox television
 * name = MLS Soccer Sunday

ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes (Spanish)
 * runtime  = 2.0-2.5 hours
 * country  = {{USA}}
 * network  = ESPN2, Fox Sports 1 (English)
 * presenter = Adrian Healey (play-by-play}

Taylor Twellman (analyst)

Mónica González (sideline reports) }} MLS Soccer Sunday is a presentation of Major League Soccer produced independently by ESPN and Fox Sports Sunday evenings primarily on ESPN2 and Fox Sports 1. Spanish-language simulcasts are broadcast on ESPN Deportes and Fox Deportes.
 * first_aired = March 8, 2015

MLS Soccer Sunday is telecast primarily on ESPN2 in the 5pm Eastern Time Zone broadcast window. Most matches are simulcast live on ESPN Deportes. The first broadcast on 8 March 2015 was the home opener of Orlando City SC and fellow expansion side New York City FC. The match, which ended in a 1-1 tie, was broadcast from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida before a crowd of 62,510 spectators.

English and Spanish feeds are carried on ESPN3.

History
As noted earlier, ESPN and ABC Sports first signed carriage agreements in 1994, two years before the league began play. The league has been broadcast in the U.S. nationally since its inception in 1996. Under this initial agreement, ESPN Networks contracted to carry 20 matches on ESPN and an additional 12 matches on ESPN2. MLS agreed to buy time from ABC Sports to broadcast MLS Cup.

MLS Soccer Saturday
MLS Soccer Saturday was a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games that aired on ESPN from 1996 to 2006. MLS Soccer Saturday was the first weekly presentation of MLS games, which usually started at 4PM EST and was sponsored by Radio Shack.

Before the start of the 2007 season, the league and ESPN announced that MLS Primetime Thursday would be the flagship broadcast as part of a new television contract, ending an 11-year broadcast run of matches on Saturday afternoons.

MLS Primetime Thursday
MLS Primetime Thursday was the weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN2 for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The program was presented by Adidas.

History
ESPN and MLS had previously had a contract where ESPN2 televised live games, usually on Saturday afternoons. Under the arrangement, no rights fee was paid, and MLS controlled production, advertising, and promotion. Time slots varied under the deal, secured by Soccer United Marketing's providing of rights to the FIFA World Cup.

For the 2007 season, an eight-year deal was signed with an $8 million rights fee. ESPN added several features in an attempt to improve presentation—high-definition broadcasts, a sky-cam for some matches, a virtual offside line, a ball tracer, a sideline reporter, and three commentators. For the inaugural season, 2006 FIFA World Cup announcers Dave O'Brien and Eric Wynalda served as play-by-play and analyst, respectively, with Allen Hopkins serving as the sideline reporter. Tommy Smyth was later added as a co-analyst. Glenn Davis and Rob Stone filled in for O'Brien on occasion.

For the 2008 season, JP Dellacamera and John Harkes replaced O'Brien and Wynalda as the lead team Rob Stone continued his role as on-site studio host and Julie Foudy as studio analyst.

Following the 2008 season, ESPN discontinued the Thursday programming, citing lagging ratings and hoping to find better lead-in programming. It was replaced by the MLS Game of the Week, which rotated among a variety of nights and time slots.

Ratings
After averaging 223,000 viewers during the 2006 season, ratings increased slightly in 2007, to 289,000 viewers, including a regular-season high of 658,000 viewers for David Beckham's second regular season match. However, ratings dipped to 253,000 in 2008. Attendance often lagged, with few sellouts for the weeknight matches, with marquee club Los Angeles Galaxy unable to host home matches at the Home Depot Center on Thursdays due to its agreement with California State University, Dominguez Hills

MLS Game of the Week
MLS Game of the Week was the weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN2 from 2009 to 2014.

History
Following the 2008 season, ESPN discontinued MLS Primetime Thursday, citing lagging ratings and hoping to find better lead-in programming. It was replaced by the MLS Game of the Week, which rotates among a variety of nights and time slots.

Ratings
Ratings have largely remained steady if stagnant despite the move from the regular time slot. Viewership averaged 299,000 per broadcast in 2009, up from 253,000 in 2008; however, it dipped to 253,000 in 2010 before rebounding to 291,000 in 2011 with some matches (having been moved to ESPN as opposed to ESPN2) drawing over 600,000 viewers.

ESPN Major League Soccer
ESPN Major League Soccer is a promotion of Major League Soccer on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD and ESPN2HD. Major League Soccer on ESPN2 debuted in 1996, the league's first season, and is guaranteed to stay on the network till at least 2014. From 1996 to 2006, the weekly soccer match on ESPN2 was called MLS Soccer Saturday, but in the new contract, that was replaced by MLS Primetime Thursday. For the 2009 season and beyond, the Thursday telecast was replaced by a variety of primtime games on Wednesdays through Saturdays. Beginning in 2009, as part of ESPN's far-reaching strategy of moving sports programming to ESPN, all matches - including MLS Cup - are now aired on either ESPN or ESPN2.

History
On August 4, 2006, ESPN reached a comprehensive multimedia agreement with Soccer United Marketing (SUM) for the rights to Major League Soccer through 2014. As part of the eight-year agreement, ESPN2 will televise 26 regular-season and three playoff MLS matches each year, all in primetime on Thursdays.

Highlights of the agreement include:
 * ESPN2 will televise 26 regular-season MLS matches, primarily on Thursday nights.
 * ESPN2 will televise three MLS playoff matches.
 * ABC will televise one regular-season MLS match, the MLS All-Star Game, and MLS Cup. (replaced by ESPN in 2009)
 * Televised coverage of the first round of the MLS Draft.
 * MLS telecasts can be re-aired in full or abbreviated versions on any ESPN media platforms
 * Extensive footage rights for all ESPN media platforms such as SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, ESPN Motion, ESPN360, etc.
 * ESPN will also produce and be solely responsible for the content, whereas, they had not been able to do that in the past.

Also in 2007, ESPN2's coverage of the MLS included new on-screen scoreboards, similar to those used on other sports telecasts. In 2008, another new score graphic was debuted, this time in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

ESPN will join forces with Fox Sports and Univision to broadcast over 100 MLS games (combined), live and exclusive, from 2015 and 2022 in its new media rights deal. ESPN has been involved with the league since its inception in 1996.

Technology
In addition, ESPN2 has numerous production enhancements to the telecasts. They include:


 * SkyCam: A common element during ESPN's NFL and MLB telecasts, SkyCam will return after making its debut in 2005 on select ABC and ESPN2 telecasts. The device provides an aerial view of the field, giving the viewer a unique angle to appreciate the development and speed of match action.
 * MLS Wired: Telecasts feature use of the unobtrusive microphones, worn by select coaches and players, to capture some of the compelling in-game interactions and conversations.
 * KickTrax
 * HD: Beginning in 2007, all games aired in high-definition.

Criticism
ESPN has been accused of putting more emphasis on overall negativity and the more violent aspect of MLS games (such as two confrontations, two challenges and a player nursing a bloody head in its first six shots) in "Greatest Highlights of the Month" segment for their intermission reports.

Categories
Category:Major League Soccer on television Category:1990s American television series Category:2000s American television series Category:2010s American television series Category:ESPN2 original programming Category:1996 American television series debuts Category:2006 American television series endings Category:2007 American television series debuts Category:2009 American television series endings Category:2009 American television series debuts Category:2014 American television series endings Category:2015 American television series debuts