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YouTube TV snags rights to local Los Angeles FC soccer broadcasts
You can certainly watch sports on cord-cutting TV services, but major sports exclusives? Not until now. YouTube TV has reached a deal that makes it the official live TV and video partner for Major League Soccer's brand new team, the Los Angeles Football Club. The streaming service will be the only place for Angelenos to watch all locally televised English-language LAFC games, and it'll also carry all nationally broadcast games on ESPN, Fox and FS1. The deal will be impossible to ignore regardless of how you watch -- players will have YouTube TV's logo "prominently" plastered on their jerseys.
Video reviews are already proving their worth in MLS
Slowly but surely, technology is making its mark on world soccer. Goal-line technology is already helping rule out goals in the Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue 1 and Italy's Serie A and FIFA will soon embark on its plan to track players' fitness in real time. But there's also something happening in some leagues around the world that could all but remove contentious decisions from the game: video assistant referees (VAR). This weekend, after a year of preliminary testing in official matches, video replays were unveiled at Major League Soccer matches, and it didn't take long for them to show their effectiveness.
FIFA’s tech ‘experiments’ drag soccer into the modern age
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It may not be as big as American football, baseball or basketball in the US -- at least not yet-- but there's a much larger interest in it here now than five or 10 years ago. One of the problems with soccer is that, unlike pro sports organizations such as the NFL, NBA or MLB, it has never been quick to adopt new technology. For decades FIFA, the sport's governing body, opposed cutting-edge ideas that could keep referees from making the wrong calls. "We shall rely on human beings," former FIFA President Sepp Blatter said in 2002. "Players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes and yes, sometimes referees make mistakes. But football is passion, football is emotion. Football has a human touch."
Starting August 5th, all MLS games will have video review
After a few years of planning and testing, Major League Soccer is ready to roll out video review in all of its games. For each game, including the playoffs and MLS cup, there will be a fifth referee on the crew with access to all available broadcast replays. That person's job is to alert the head referee to "clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents" in four specific situations: Goals, penalty kicks, red cards and mistaken identity. Embarrassing referee gaffes have hit some high profile games over the years, and everyone hopes that video review will help, which is why the MLS and FIFA are expanding its usage.
Major League Soccer gets its first eSports player
A number of European soccer teams have their own eSports players, but what about American clubs? Don't worry, they're catching up. New York City FC has signed Major League Sports' first eSports player, Christopher Holly, to represent the outfit in FIFA tournaments. He's definitely not a newcomer to the game -- Holly has been playing some form of FIFA on PlayStation systems for the past 12 years, and plays well enough that he was the top-rated FIFA Ultimate Team player on the planet in December.
Facebook will stream live MLS soccer matches this season
Liga MX isn't the only pro soccer league you'll be able to watch on Facebook this season. The social network has signed another deal with Univision to stream at least 22 live Major League Soccer (MLS) matches in 2017. In addition to action on the pitch the league will produce over 40 "Matchday Live" analysis shows that will be exclusively available on Facebook.
This weekend's MLS championship will be broadcast in VR
As virtual reality matures as a medium there are going to be fewer firsts for it. But for now, at least, we have news that for the first time, Major League Soccer will be broadcasting a championship game in VR. That match is none other than Saturday's battle between Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders. How's a "virtual suite" rife with player rosters and live stats sound? Somehow, the developers managed to fit a model of an Audi car in it because, well, this is an Audi-sponsored broadcast. There's a "magic window" experience too, whatever that is.
WSJ: Amazon ponders live sports on Prime
Amazon already offers a robust library of movies and television for streaming, but the online retailer could be looking to tackle one of the last remaining strongholds of pay television. The Wall Street Journal reports the company has held talks over the last few months with the NBA, MLB, NFL and MLS. Amazon has reportedly also met with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which has it's own network with a hand from ESPN, in addition to Campus Insiders and 120 Sports for college athletics coverage.
Major League Soccer deal lets you buy tickets on other websites
Sports leagues have historically clamped down on online ticket sales, in part to prevent the rampant scalping you see in much of the entertainment industry. Major League Soccer, however, is trying the exact opposite: it's throwing things wide open. The league has forged a partnership with SeatGeek that will create a ticketing platform that works through virtually any website or app. Other sites could sell tickets, for a start. You could buy tickets from Uber before you hail a ride to that Seattle Sounders game, for instance.
Twitter in talks to add NBA and MLS streams to its sports coverage
After putting its livestream tools to the test with Wimbledon coverage this week, Twitter is said to be looking to carry more sports action. Recode reports the social network is in talks with the NBA, MLS and Turner networks to show "content related to live sports and events." While the negotiations are said to involve digital streaming rights, it's unclear at this point if the streams would include actual game footage like Twitter's NFL deal or if it will be the pre- and post-game analysis like we saw from Wimbledon.
FIFA will test in-game video replays next year
It took FIFA, soccer's governing body, years to bring goal-line technology into the sport. And even now that the system is approved, there are only a few leagues world taking advantage of it. Still, that decision showed the organization's willingness to evolve and keep up with other sports. Today FIFA, along with the International Football Association Board (which sets the rules for soccer), is taking another step forward by approving tests of video replays to review controversial plays during matches.
MLS aims to be first soccer league to tackle video replay
While goal-line technology debuted for both World Cup and English Premier League action this year, Major League Soccer is looking to take video assistance one step further. MLS commissioner Don Garber told Sports Illustrated that the league wants to be the first to test a replay system that would allow officials to review calls on the pitch after a coach's challenge. FIFA's president Sepp Blatter, the head of soccer's international governing body, has already called for testing next year in league action and during the Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand. It's worth noting that MLS has yet to employ the goal-line systems due to cost, but the instant replay kit could be less expensive to adopt. However, due to its status as an up-and-comer when compared to other professional soccer leagues, MLS could be a prime candidate for the trials. In the US, NFL and MLB already use a similar video system allowing coaches' challenges to help correct errors in officiating -- but only for a few calls. Of course, it comes at the expense of slowing down the action for replays that can sometimes take several minutes to sort. [Photo credit: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images]
ESPN lets you get closer to the action during MLS All-Star Game (update)
Goal-line technology is still a relatively new thing in football, having faced its first real test only about a month ago at the World Cup in Brazil. Here in the US, ESPN is doing something along those lines, mostly for entertainment purposes, during the 2014 MLS All-Star Game -- a match between a collection of Major League Soccer's best players and German club Bayern Munich. As Sports Video Group reports, ESPN has installed a set of cameras inside the goalposts of the Timbers' Providence Park, located in Portland, Oregon, to give viewers at home a better (and much closer) look at what happens in such a critical zone of the field. Bob Frattaroli, the man in charge of directing ESPN's game broadcast, told SVG that having this system in place is perfect for fans to experience "what's going on in the 6-yard box" and to see what movements players are making around it. "First of all, it's a really unique angle, but there's also an intimacy to it that you're not expecting," he said. Update: ESPN has posted a video clip of the cameras in place plus a highlight from their unique perspective, check it out after the break.
Google brings WatchESPN, MLS and more to Chromecast
The response Google's received since opening up its Chromecast SDK has been phenomenal, as more and more services continue to bring support for the tiny streaming device. As of today, we can add some extra entertainment options to the list. WatchESPN, Major League Soccer, Crunchyroll and the search giant's own Google+ are all welcoming Chromecast compatibility, thanks to updates to their respective apps on iOS and Android. WatchESPN and MLS Matchday join MLB.tv in letting you Cast live sports right from your smartphone or tablet -- that's assuming you have the right subscription, of course. Additionally, the Google+ iOS and Android applications now let you use the $35 dongle to display photos and videos on a TV near you; Crunchyroll, meanwhile, does the same, but with popular anime shows instead of your own media.
Major League Soccer has big plans for the World Cup and beyond
On June 12th, most football fans around the globe will have their eyes set on Brazil's Arena de Sao Paulo, where the host nation is set to take on Croatia in the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Here in the States, ESPN has already revealed how it plans to deliver coverage of the world's biggest sporting event, making it easy for you to watch anywhere, anytime. Sure, there are some caveats (namely, you still need to be a pay-TV subscriber to watch games), but the way ESPN intends to bring you content from Brazil will likely still be better than anything we've seen from previous World Cups. And "The World Wide Leader in Sports" won't be the only one. Major League Soccer, too, wants to be a source of info for anything that comes out of the event in South America.
ESPN mulls streaming Major League Soccer to fans without cable subscriptions
ESPN's latest Major League Soccer news could be a boon for cord-cutters. At the moment, there are a few different ways to watch the sports channel's soccer football offerings, but they require a pay TV subscription to do so. According to Reuters, though, that could change in the future. Company president John Skipper says that he's looking for ways to increase revenues for his company and sees a direct-to-consumer sales approach as a possible step toward that. The reasoning? Well, he forecasts that digital advertising revenues (online ads, bumpers during V-O-D broadcasts) will be the "most promising" area of growth over the next two to three years. Skipper mentions the network's recent purchase of rights to digital MLS broadcasts is a clue to future plans, but was quick to note that none of these plans are "very far along." Despite that, Reuters' anonymous sources still claim that a firm plan could be in place within a few months and that the games could be offered through the ESPN3 app -- hopefully via Roku too. [Image credit: Associated Press]
Major League Soccer to stream out-of-market games on ESPN3
In an effort to increase popularity of the league in the US, MLS announced a new broadcasting partnership with ESPN, FOX and Univision. As part of the deal with these TV networks, which will run through 2022, MLS is bringing (some) out-market games to ESPN3. That, of course, includes the WatchESPN applications and the ESPN3 website. For Major League Soccer, this is a huge step, as it previously kept these games tied to one of its subscription services, including MLS Direct Kick and MLS Live. According to ESPN, the agreement is for "more than 200 MLS matches" per season, over the next eight years -- for reference, 323 matches were played during the 2013 season, not taking into account the playoffs.
Apple TV gains Major League Soccer and Disney Junior channels
It seems that Apple's taking its little hobby more seriously with each passing day. Not long after adding a slew of new features to Apple TV, the company has quietly added two additional channels to its growing lineup: Major League Soccer and Disney Junior. For its part, the MLS app lets viewers watch live league matches with a $25-per-season subscription, while the latter offering brings video content for young ones but relies on participating cable providers for access, similarly to the Disney Channel and Disney XD. We should mention the pair of channels appear to be only available in the US, so fret not if some of you don't see these show up on your Apple TV's homescreen.
Major League Soccer, Microsoft team up on Windows 8 app, in-game experiences
If you're a Major League Soccer fan, there's now a Windows 8 app to keep up with North America's version of the beautiful game. The league has teamed up with Microsoft on an exclusive app to bring schedules, standings, video highlights, play-by-play, game stats, cards and substitutions to Windows 8 Pro and RT. You'll also be able to get custom updates on your live tiles to see how your team is doing with a glance at the start screen. MLS and Microsoft said they're also bringing "fan and stadium experiences," like trying out Windows 8 on Microsoft Surface tablet at over 40 games during the season, and alluded to bringing "immersive soccer experiences" to players, coaches and fans down the road. We'll have to see exactly what they mean by that, but meanwhile, you can grab the app at the source.
NBC rebrands Olympics app as NBC Sports Live Extra, promises streams for a wider athletic universe
NBC's Olympics Live Extra may have lost its original raison d'être after the flame was extinguished in London, but that doesn't mean it's time to purge the app from your phone's home screen. An update for Android and iOS users alike is giving the title new life as NBC Sports Live Extra, and the name makes it quite obvious that you'll have a lot more to watch than just biathlons and fencing. NBC expects to offer live streaming for the European PGA, LPGA, MLS, NHL, Notre Dame, PGA, Ryder Cup and other events or leagues culled from the channel formerly known as Versus. Highlights, social sharing and other side features will carry over as well. You don't have to do a thing beyond check for a new version to make the switch to the already updated apps, but you will have to subscribe to conventional TV to use them properly: NBC is requiring TV Everywhere authentication for access to most of what's on offer from NBC Sports Network and the Golf Channel.
