Sky Sports wins rights to show Major League Soccer from March
With former England captain Steven Gerrard announcing he will sign for LA Galaxy in July, and Frank Lampard set to join New York City this summer, the deal means Sky Sports will be the only place to follow the fortunes of two Premier League legends in the US.
Sky Sports secured 25 new rights agreements in 2014, and that has continued this year with recent deals for international and domestic cricket with the ECB and exclusive live coverage of the Open Championship from 2017, as well as even more Premier League football from 2016.
Sky Ambassadors Thierry Henry and David Beckham both played in MLS for a number of seasons, and many high profile players both from the Premier League and elsewhere in Europe have signed for clubs in the US in recent seasons including Robbie Keane who was the 2014 MLS MVP and MLS Cup Champion with the LA Galaxy.
'Enormous potential for growth'
Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis said: “Football in the US and Canada has enormous potential for growth and we can’t wait to bring this competition to our viewers for the first time. Thierry Henry has joined us, he created fantastic memories in MLS, and we look forward to seeing more of those great stories from across the Atlantic."
Gary Stevenson, president and managing director, MLS Business Ventures, said: “As MLS continues to grow into a global brand, we are excited to partner with Sky Sports, a leader in the UK TV market, to bring the sport to millions of soccer fans.
“2015 is a milestone year for MLS including new stars, new clubs and a new brand. Sky Sports will help continue to grow the League and its Clubs worldwide.”
The deal was negotiated with IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion and media, who last month partnered with MLS to distribute their global media rights across all platforms for the next eight years.
