MLS Agree Six-Year Broadcast Rights Deal with TSN

Major League Soccer (MLS) has awarded its broadcasting rights in neighbouring Canada to TSN for the next six-years, beginning this year and running through to the 2016 season.

Under the terms of the deal TSN and TSN2 will broadcast 24 MLS regular season matches this season featuring Canadian teams Toronto FC and/or Vancouver Whitecaps FC. In future seasons, the networks will broadcast at least 30 games featuring the three Canadian teams – including the 2012 MLS expansion team, the Montreal Impact.

All MLS games on TSN and TSN2 will be broadcast in High Definition and additionally TSN also acquires the broadcast rights for the MLS Cup, MLS Cup Play-off games and the popular MLS All-Star Game, along with additional MLS games featuring non-Canadian teams.

Stewart Johnston, President of TSN, stated: “As seen with the success of Toronto FC and MLS’s expansion to Vancouver and Montreal, there is an incredible appetite for professional soccer in Canada. This is a long term partnership with MLS and we are looking forward to working with them not only to give fans ‘best in class’ game coverage but also to help build the profile of the league and grow the game of soccer across the country.”

Don Garber, MLS Commissioner, added: “We are very pleased to partner with TSN, the leading sports network in Canada. This announcement comes at an opportune time for MLS, as we enter a period of growth in Canada with the Vancouver Whitecaps joining the League this season and the Montreal Impact in 2012.  We look forward to building the sport together and creating an exciting multi-media platform for soccer fans throughout the country.”