MLS signs six-year TV deal with Canada's TSN

NEW YORK – Major League Soccer announced Monday that it has signed a six-year multimedia rights agreement with TSN, Canada’s most-watched specialty network, and that the TSN family of networks will broadcast 24 regular season games live in 2011, all involving at least one of the two Canadian-based MLS clubs.

This season Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps will respectively feature 13 and 12 times each on TSN/TSN2, including the first two all-Canadian matches in MLS history on March 19 and June 29.

“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," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "We look forward to building the sport together and creating an exciting multimedia platform for soccer fans throughout the country.”

TSN will also broadcast Toronto FC’s home opener at BMO Field against the Portland Timbers on March 26 (2 pm ET), as well as the Canadian rivals’ second go-round in Toronto on June 29 (7:30 pm ET) and the 2011 AT&T MLS All Star Game from Red Bull Arena on July 27 (8:30 pm ET).

As the official broadcaster of MLS in Canada, TSN also holds broadcast rights for the MLS AT&T All-Star Game, the MLS Cup Playoffs and the league’s championship game, MLS Cup. TSN also will broadcast select additional games between two US-based teams to its lineup of MLS coverage beginning this season through 2016. French-language broadcasting rights in Canada belong to TSN’s sister network RDS as part of the deal in anticipation of next year, when Montreal Impact join MLS as an expansion club.

[inline_node:327227]All MLS games on TSN and TSN2 will be broadcast in High Definition.

The agreement allows TSN to provide extensive and exclusive live coverage of its package of MLS games across a variety of multimedia platforms in Canada. Games on TSN/TSN2 will be available live to fans in the United States via the MLS Direct Kick Package and/or Match Day Live on MLSsoccer.com.

“As we have 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,” said Stewart Johnston, President of TSN. “This is a long term partnership with MLS and we are looking forward to working with them not only 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.”

Beginning next year, TSN and TSN2 will combine to broadcast 30 regular season MLS games live across Canada.

2011 MLS Broadcast Schedule (TSN & TSN2)
Home team listed first; all times Eastern; subject to change