MLS unveils ambitious 2017 US national broadcast schedule

Major League Soccer last week unveiled its 2017 season schedule, revealing an ambitious national TV slate coming off of a 2016 season that featured record numbers for  

The league will return on the ESPN, FOX and Univision families of networks this year. An MLS broadcast partner since the league’s inception, the ESPN family of networks will air 31 games in the 2017 regular season, with 28 set for ESPN and three more set for ESPN2. All matches on either network will be simulcast on ESPN Deportes and streamed live on both WatchESPN and ESPN Deportes+.

One year after making its FOX broadcast network debut, MLS will again return to the over-the-air network in 2017. Four regular season matches will be shown on FOX this year, while another 29 – including the season opener between the Portland Timbers and Minnesota United FC at Providence Park on March 3 – will air on FS1, which will broadcast the 2017 MLS All-Star Game this summer.

Returning for their 11th consecutive season providing Spanish-language coverage of the league, Univision is ramping up their MLS schedule in 2017. At least six regular season contests will be shown on the Univision network, while another 20 matches will be broadcast on UniMas, with most of those simulcast on UDN. UniMas matches will no longer primarily be broadcast on Friday night, with a new programming window on Saturday afternoons set to bring MLS action to Univision’s biggest platforms. As has been the case in previous years, all matches on Univision and UniMas will be available in English via SAP and livestreamed online at UnivisionDeportes.com.

MLS also announced last week new landmark media rights deals in Canada with TSN and TVA Sports.

TSN will deliver exclusive English-language broadcast rights in Canada. The deal includes exclusive coverage of every game featuring Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps, a select number of Montreal Impact matches, marquee contests between US-based teams and exclusive English coverage of the All-Star Game, MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup. TSN’s new deal will include a new Friday night window in the spring and a game of the week on Saturday nights all season long.

TVA Sports will now be the exclusive French-language broadcaster of Montreal Impact matches as well as the sole French-language home of the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup. TVA will air more than 50 games total per season, while also producing a weekly show on the Impact, MLS and international soccer.

The full 2017 MLS regular season US national TV schedule can be found below: 

FOX & FS1

ESPN & ESPN2

Univision & UniMas