Football/Soccer - USL & Turner Broadcasting to launch new Soccer/Football broadband channel

bana2166 · Published by bana2166- 03-04-07

March 2, 2007

MEDIA WATCH: U.S. leagues expand broadcast profile

Two U.S. leagues expended their media profiles with recent national broadcast deals. The Major Indoor Soccer League entered into a partnership agreement with VERSUS to carry four games this season, plus a championship preview show.

Meanwhile, the USL and Turner Broadcasting announced a partnership to provide exclusive online video streaming of USL First Division matches featuring all 13 clubs beginning April 2007 through the 2009 season. The matches, which cannot be found on traditional broadcast or cable television distribution, will be available on the new broadband channel USL Live at www.USLLive.com, launching early April 2007.

The MISL?s deal with VERSUS calls for two regular season games (Mar 24 Baltimore @ Philadelphia-5pm ET) and March 31 (Milwaukee at California-5pmET) to be carried live. An MISL Championship Series magazine show will air April 7 at 4pm, and the league?s Semifinal will be carried on April 14 at 4pm, and the final on April 21 at 4pm.

VERSUS, which carries the National Hockey League as well as the Tour de France, is available in 70 million homes. ESPN has carried some MISL playoff games the last two seasons, but the new deal is the first encompassing regular season games for the league.

The USL?s deal with Turner allows fans to watch USL First Division matches live or on-demand on a per-event basis or with a monthly all-event pass or season-long pass. Package pricing and the event schedule will be announced at a later date.