Space Pirate at work: The Failing of Soccer on American Television

Let's start with the good news. The U.S. professional soccer league called Major League Soccer has a team that just broke into the $1 Billion in value club according to Forbes. This is great news for the legue which will be celebrating it's 30th anniversary by the end of this year. Now add this to the league climbing up the chart of most valuable sports leagues in the world and you have something to pay attention too. Some folks don't seem to understand this growth is a good thing not just for MLS but for soccer as a whole. Those folks being the broadcasters in the U.S. being the broadcasters like CBS & ABC/ESPN.

Here's something I've noticed as a soccer fan watching the sport grow here in the U.S. since I was young. The broadcasters here are scared of the sport growing. It sounds odd but that's the sense that I've had as I've watched the English Premier League go from just Manchester United versus Arsenal twice a year on ESPN. The UEFA Champions League be played on a Thursday on ESPN2. All the way to the MLS Cup Final 2022 being on of the most dramatic games that I've ever seen in my life.

I know the World Cup was well received after initially being viewed as a potential flop before the first game was played but the sport is more then just one Championship game. The spotlight that the tournament brought is always good for the game outside of the United States but for some odd reason the broadcast companies within the U.S. act like they don't know what to do with the growing popularity of the sport after the tournament. Well, allow me to help them understand that there are people here who see what they are doing and are not doing with this simple statement. Get your face out of the NFLs ass!

The reason that I say this comes down to a few reasons which we'll get into. Let's start with NBC & it's parent company Comcast. The network has become synonymous with the most popular soccer league in the world the English Premier League. For those of you that don't know this is the English Football Associations top division of professional soccer in England. (I'll use football to describe soccer outside of the U.S. going forward.) The EPL has been apart of the NBC family of networks for years now after it came over from the Fox networks in the U.S. The EPL was the main driver of helping NBC build on its NBCSports network before that network was shutdown because the EPL and Formula 1 racecar driving were the only real ratings grabbers on the network. The PGA golf program already had a PGA network which did no favors for NBCSports so eventually NBC lost F1 to ESPN but moved the EPL to it's USA and occasionally CNBC networks. They've kept certain games on NBC and either Telemundo or Univision networks for Spanish language broadcasts for years. This has helped grow NBCs coverage of the EPL so much that they have had a few fanfest around the country. I've been to a few of them here as they have been easy to get to and it's fun to watch the games with other EPL fans.

The consistency that NBC has brought to keeping the EPL in front of American audiences on regular over-the-air (free tv) braodcasting, cable (paid tv) broadcasting and now using it's Peacock (online tv) streaming service to allow viewers to see the EPL whereever, whenever and however they want has helped grow the EPL into the money making powerhouse that it is now. I mentioned that Fox used to have the EPL which is what started the EPL gaining momentum and growth in the U.S. The folks at NBC saw this and made the EPL a great offer which they have used to grow ever the brand since. So with this formula in mind you can understand why later on the other broadcast companies of CBS & ABC/ESPN all brought themselves into the business of mostly European soccer league broadcasting. The problem is they've down a cheap job of helping those leagues grow and achieve more revenue since those times. Opting instead to hide these leagues behind paywalls and inconsistent schedules on over-the-air and cable broadcasting channels that they all have.

I have been a subscriber to NBCs Peacock, ABC/ESPNs ESPN+ (Plus), and CBSs Paramount+ (Plus) streaming services for a while now. First was ESPN+ and then Peacock, though that was mostly for WWE, with Paramount+ coming in recently only because it had just added the Italian Serie A to its service. That's not true today but it'll probably change in the future I'm sure. I do look at all of them as a good business move on the part of the U.S. companies. Having the different leagues they have under their umbrellas is a good thing. How they use these leagues to grow their networks/streaming services and showing that they are helping the different leagues grow in the U.S. market is pathetic to put it nicely.

Here's a scenario for you. Imagine if you are the English FA and you see how the EPL is doing. The thing that sits in the back of your mind is, well they do know that we have more then just the EPL in our catalog, right? In the FA they have the EPL but also the English Championship League which is the English second division. They also have the third and fourth divisions as well but lets just concentrate on the 1st & 2nd divisions. So with the popularity of the EPL, the 1st division, you could point out that the 2nd division is also a potential moneymaker for a broadcaster. It doesn't end there as the FA also has the English FA Cup & League Cup tournaments that it can also have for a broadcaster. This should be very enticing to a broadcaster to have in their portfolio? Now here in the U.S. ABC/ESPN has 3 out of the 4 options available for broadcasting from the English FA. The problem is that they only use ESPN+ to show these programs. So having the English Championship (2nd division), the FA Cup & League Cup should be an easy win for ABC/ESPN. But it's not because they keep screwing it up.

The fact that ABC/ESPN has ABC for over-the-air broadcasts, ESPN 1 & ESPN 2 for cable broadcasts but don't use any of them to broadcast the FAs catalog with very few exceptions is a crime against the English FA.With ESPN your looking at 3 different options to broadcast multiple games every single week on U.S. television by whats believed to be the best sports network in the U.S. So why is that the only way you can see any of these games is behind a paywall for a service that doesn't even advertise that it has your games available to see? Unless you're like myself where you love the sport so you know about these things you probably won't know about this unless you learn about it by accident.

This is the same problem that ABC/ESPN is doing to the Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie, and a bunch of other leagues that they have on ESPN+. Sure they'll have the occasional La Liga or Bundesliga game on ABC but they have absolutely no consistency with broadcasting any of these leagues on the real ratings gainers which are ABC, ESPN 1 & 2. But when you tune into ESPN 2 on a Saturday morning to see that they are just replaying SportsCenter over and over and over again it gets you wondering, isn't their anything better on right now? Is their no live sporting programs going on right now?

The FA, La Liga, Bundesliga all have games going on for 10 out of 12 months in a calendar year. It makes no sense how ESPN cannot have a schedule where one game is shown from all these leagues on ABC at least once a week. On ESPN 1 or 2 you should have no problems showing two of these games throughout a week on those 2 networks. And ESPN also has ESPN 3 which could certainly use more programming to grow as a network. So why the hell aren't they doing more to grow these leagues presence and revenues in the U.S.? Someone who won't have to worry about dealing with ESPN for a while is MLS which won't be broadcasting on ABC/ESPN anymore as they've signed with Fox until 2026. But as I'm looking at this issue I'm thinking the English FA are going to have to consider expanding their deal with Comcast NBC if things don't change.

I know why ESPN brought the FAs other programs. It's to be in a better position to someday get the EPL in their catalog. But seeing how they have treated the other properties they have I wouldn't be in a rush to leave NBC. As a matter of fact I would look to expand the deal with NBC to have the Championship, FA Cup & League Cup on NBCs networks. At least they would be seen by a larger audience on a regular basis when compared to what ABC/ESPN is doing. This also applies to the Womens games also which NBC used to have but has changed over to CBS but their not a great moneymaker either.

The leagues that have tried this experiment hoping for better results are La Liga, Serie A & the Bundesliga. They had other partners in the U.S. but have since made swithces to their current partners but it hasn't been the best for any of them. It's a shame because the game has grown so much in the U.S. which has helped not only the leagues but the main governing body of the sport in FIFA. As well as the continental governing body of European soccer in UEFA. The multiple UEFA Championship Finals have been growing in popularity year over between it's competitions the Champions League & Europa League. There's now a 3rd competition in the Conference Championship but that just started last season so I'll leave that out. Currently all of these games are shown on CBS and it's Paramount+ service but the same problem with ESPN+ occurs on Paramount+.

I'll put it like this, as I'm writing this post in the Italian Serie A league there will be a big rivalry game played between AC Milan & Inter Milan that will be broadcast on Paramount+. Now here in the U.S. they have CBS or CBS SportsNetwork that could show this game live on a Sunday afternoon when the NFL has just finished its regular season and the SuperBowl is the only game left to play this season. So why not have this marquee game on either of the 2 networks that you have available to gain viewers and advertise the sport and league that you have in your portfolio?

Even when you see the Paramount+ commercials they don't advertise that they have all of the Serie A games, the Coppa Italia and a bunch of other leagues in the service. The Scotish & Brazilian leagues get no advertising from Paramount+ but their on that platform. It brings up the question of why did Serie A leave ESPN+ becasue of lack of advertising only to go to Paramount+ only to still have the same problem of no advertising? Don't forget the UEFA programming has a similar issue. No, advertising but all of these big games are shown on a platform that is hidden behind a paywall.

I can't blame MLS for leaving ESPN. They are trying to grow their league and the U.S. Soccer Federation is trying to expand not only the mens side but also the womens side of the sport. They just made a deal to show the national teams games on HBO. That makes no sense to me but you've got to try something if these big broadcasters are going to treat you like your 3rd rate compared to the NFL and NBA. But the MLS is growing in value is a good thing. This will only grow in time so at some point the big networks won't be able to brush aside MLS in favor of the NFL. But if your one of the leagues from UEFA or FIFA your not going to wait your turn for the NFL to come back for another 6 month run when you have programming that plays all 12 months of the year all over the planet.

ESPN won't be part of MLS new TV deal

Here's what needs to happen now before the leagues start pulling programming off their current platforms. Let's start with ABC/ESPN as an example to show what can be done now. On the 26th of this month of Febraury the English will have their League Cup Final played between Manchester United versus Newcastle United from Wembley Stadium. This game should be broadcast on either ABC or one of the 2 ESPN channels. This shouldn't be on ESPN+, it's a Championship games featuring on of the most recognized teams in club football in Manchester United. You can't tell me that no one will want to watch this game in the U.S. when the SuperBowl would have been over already and ABC/ESPN needs live programming to get ratings and advertisers to view the network. This should be an easy score for ABC/ESPN if they feature this game on one of their big networks.

By the way they should do this as they recently had La Ligas Real Madrid versus Barcelona play in a Spanish Supercopa Final that was broadcast on ABC recently. You can't tell me that they can't do the same thing for the English. It should be a similar thing going forward for the English FA Cup, Spanish Cup, German Cup, Dutch Cup, Belgian Cup, Swiss Cup which all play out in the Spring. You can't tell me that SportsCenter at 11AM Eastern is a bigger ratings draw then the Dutch Cup Final. If you give it some advertising and repeat the process every year the numbers will grow year over year. You have to show these leagues that doing business with the network that likes to call itself, "The WorldWide Leader in Sports" isn't just bullshit. The same concept should apply to CBS and it's new CBS SportsNetwork. This is the newest and smallest of the sports broadcasters. They need as many eyes coming to their network as possible. So, yes the Scotish Cup Final & Coupa Italia Finals should be not be shown only on Paramount+. The folks at UEFA should also look at the Conference League, Europa League & Champions League Finals rating grow substantionally because neither one of them should be behind the paywall that is Paramount+. All of these things can be done now to finish off these seasons on a positive note. Having only the Champions League Final on CBS shown on a Saturday in June should be the biggest sporting event of that weekend. You can't tell me that CBS won't benefit from having not only this but the other UEFA Finals being shown on it's flagship network.

These leagues aren't going to be ignored. The folks at MLS went back to Fox with the belief that MLS Cup, the U.S. Open Cup, other games will bring more eyes to the U.S. Soccer Federations offerings. Don't ignore the Womens side either as FIFA knows that U.S. Womens Soccer has been the powerhouse driving it's Womens World Cup Final for over a decade now. They are keeping an eye on the growth of the National Womens Soccer League in the U.S. If it's not growing FIFA will look into why. The USSF could just point to broadcasters not helping the growth and that can become a built-in excuse for medicority that would hurt the Womens game.

If none of these points connect with you then I'll leave you with this. You know who will make these networks change their views on soccer in the United States? The answer is Las Vegas. The game of football in Europe is a massive gambling moneymover. It's been growing in Vegas exponentially year over year since the game has grown in popularity since the 1990s. The more that viewers watch the games on the networks the more they'll bet on those games. The more that is bet on those games, the more that gambling companies will advertise on those networks. The bigger revenues will make the leagues take notice and either want to stay with their broadcast partners or look for a new one when their deals expire.

MLS Most Valuable Clubs 2023

This doesn't just affect the current leagues associated with these broadcasters. The French Ligue 1 is currently on BienSports here in the U.S. Bien doesn't help that league since it's a extra priced service cable channel here. I wasn't going to pay for La Liga & Ligue 1 when they were both on BienSports and I damn sure won't pay for it now that Ligue 1 is the only one left on Bien. I'd imagine I'm not the only one doing that even though that's where you can see Messi, Mmbappe, Neymar, Ramos & others from Paris Saint-German play. It's something that I'm sure the French Football Federation is aware of so I won't be suprised when they leave BienSports but where they go to will be a big question. A question that can be answered with money.

In the end that is the real driver behind this problem. The networks of CBS, NBC, Fox & ABC all believe that the NFL is the biggest money driver in the country. They are correct in that belief but that may not always be the case. With MLS growing in value that should be an indicator that American footballs dominance can be challenged with time. Considering that between pro, college, high school, even Canadian football can all be shown on the big networks but only from August to January you have to look for alternative programming to fill the void left through the rest of the year. With the NFL hoping to expand in Europe you have to think that the soccer leagues are going to be watching how that goes. Currently it's not going well for the NFL but that doesn't mean it can't go well for football in the U.S.

I expect to see major improvements for next season of how soccer is treated in the U.S. Keep in mind with the European leagues their regular seasons and cup finals in May. The UEFA tournaments end with the Champions League Final in early June to close out the UEFA season. (I'd prefer the Europa League to end on the Saturday before the Champions League Final, so the Conference League can end on the Wednesday before the Europa League Final this should come into play for next season. just my preference.) By next season we should more then just Celtic or Rangers playing on CBS SportsNetwork at 7AM. We should have more then just Bayern Munich versus (insert club here) occasionally on a random Saturday at 3PM on ABC. The El Classico between Real Madrid and Barcalenona shouldn't be the only reason a La Liga game is shown on ABC. The fact that Napoli are currently leading the Serie A is something that should be on CBS at 9AM on a Saturday, I know Sunday is for Meet the Press & the Sunday morning news programs for the over-the-air networks. Yet you have these sports networks that would rather show taped sports fishing and replay the past evenings sports instead of showing live programming. This is a bullshit problem that should not exist.

The smaller leagues are really the ones losing out on the potential benefits of having a company like ABC/ESPN showing their leagues on these channels. You can't say that the Dutch Eredivisie is fine with the USA Network having the 9AM time slot on a Sunday to show EPL teams that are trying to avoid being dropped to the 2nd division is more interesting then two teams facing each other for the top position in your league. I'm not saying that their is no room for ESPN+, Paramount+, or Peacock. I think there's plenty of room for them and if your smart you can use the big name teams to bring eyes to those platforms. That's what's at the heart of my issue with these American companies. You have the platforms but your pigeonholing these leagues into a corner. Then you act like they don't exist and then try and hide them behind a paywall for those of us who want to see them on a regular basis. That's just not fair to us the viewers or the leagues.

I think NBC has been the only one who has done things the right way. I will not be surprised if in the next few years all of the English FAs and Scotish FAs football programming are broadcast over the NBC family of networks and services. They might even steal the UEFA and USSF contracts if Fox and CBS don't change things for the better. There are even more opportunities availbale also in South America, Asia and even Africa. Soccer is big money around the world. In the U.K. the game that has the biggest amount of bets placed on it for gambling is the English Championship and League 3 playoff to promotion Finals. These games are huge moneymakers, I watched the Championship Final last year on ESPN+, that game should have been on ESPN 2 in my opinion. The drama and excitement made for great theater even though I didn't cheer for either team. That's part of what makes sports so great, if these networks aren't recognizing that then there is something seriously wrong with these broadcasters and I hope that someone fixes that. The sooner the better because these companies can't expect to live off the NFL forever. The NFL is aware of this which is why moving to Amazon for Thursday night games and pushing its own NFL are some important to it. If these networks don't act fast by the time the NFL does find a solution it likes these other companies will be left in the worse place possible, as a channel with nothing to watch.