Sky Sports wins US Major League Soccer TV broadcast rights
Sky Sports will today announce it has added exclusive TV broadcast rights of live US Major League Soccer (MLS) in the UK, from March.
The four-year deal to show at least two games a week comes as Sky prepares to swallow its huge £4.2bn bid to hold on to an improved package of Premier League football rights from 2016, and the devastating loss of the Champions League from Sky Sports next season – all in the face of ever greater competition from its rival BT.
Sky hopes that, with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard joining the LA Galaxy in July and Frank Lampard set to join New York City this summer, it hopes to be able to take the league and build it into a key pillar of its live sports programming.
“We are great at backing new sports and leagues and building their profiles in the UK and Ireland,” said a Sky spokesperson last night. Sky already broadcasts top flight league matches from Spain and Holland.