Scott Hutchison

MLS Scores Streaming Deal with Facebook

Happy Friday, MLS fans.

In a story this morning, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Facebook has acquired exclusive English-language rights to stream (at least) 22 Major League Soccer regular-season matches in the U.S. alongside more than 40 “Matchday Live” analysis shows.

This all kicks off March 18th, with games appearing on Univision Deportes’ Facebook page and live analysis shows streaming on MLS’ Facebook page.

We’ve shared a few stories recently about the success soccer streaming has already seen on Facebook – from Alex Morgan and the NWSL, Facebook’s general push for Live Video sports content, and the recent Liga MX deal, also on the Univision Deportes Facebook page – today’s news is further validation of the marriage between soccer’s core demo and this platform / medium.

Facebook has said it is testing out potential ad revenue-sharing models, such as inserting an ad break in the middle of a live stream, so rest assured there will be ways for corporate America to join in the fun.

Beyond learning these MLS matches will be accessible to an even broader audience, it’s also pretty cool to read Facebook streams will include unique camera angles optimized for mobile viewing, interactive graphics and fan polls which should only fuel engagement across social media.

You can read the full WSJ article here.

Categories: Digital Content, Major League Soccer, Press, Social Media, Technology, TV Rights