The MLS Cup Final was aired on English-language networksABC from 1996 to 2008 andESPN from 2009 to 2014. ESPN/ABC andFox alternate as MLS Cup Final broadcasters since 2015, with theMLS Cup 2019[1][2] on ABC, their first MLS match since 2008. ABC also air four playoff matches including theMLS Cup 2021.[3] The MLS Cup has also been aired on Spanish-language networksTeleFutura in 2007 and 2008,[4][5]Galavision from 2009 to 2011,[6][7] TeleFutura/UniMás from 2012 to 2018, and Univision in 2019. ABC previously had Spanish announcers undersecondary audio program.
With the new Apple TV deal beginning 2023, Fox Sports will be the only linear broadcaster of MLS, and will carry select MLS Cup playoff matches, and every MLS Cup with no alternate broadcaster starting 2023.[37][38]
The2023 MLS Cup final was broadcast worldwide for free inEnglish andSpanish onMLS Season Pass, a subscription streaming service operated byApple under theirApple TV+ brand.[19] The Apple broadcast included a one-hour pregame show, a post-match show, more than 20 cameras, and a drone for overhead shots.[20] The English commentary team for Apple's broadcast includes play-by-play commentator Jake Zivin, color analystTaylor Twellman, and sideline reporter Katie Witham; the Spanish team comprises play-by-play commentator Sammy Sadovnik, color analyst Eduardo Biscayart, and sideline reporter Antonella Gonzalez.[20]
In the United States, the match was also carried on terrestrial television byFox Sports in English andFox Deportes in Spanish. The English broadcast team for Fox comprises commentatorJohn Strong, analystStu Holden, and reporterJenny Taft.[39] The Fox broadcast drew a 0.41 Nielsen rating with an average of 815,000 viewers, while Fox Deportes had 75,000 viewers; the combined viewership of 890,000 was less than half of the 2022 broadcast on Fox and Univision.[40] In Canada,TSN carried the match in English and sister stationRéseau des sports (RDS) broadcast it in French.[41]
TheMLS Cup 2022 match was broadcast in the United States onFox in English, and byUnivision andTUDN in Spanish, with pre-game and post-game coverage.[21] The Canadian broadcast was carried onThe Sports Network in English and onTVA Sports in French.[42] The Fox English commentary team included their crew for theFIFA World Cup, including play-by-play announcerJohn Strong, analystStuart Holden, and studio host Rodolfo Landeros. For Univision, Luis Omar Tapia and Ramses Sandoval provided play-by-play commentary for alternating halves with analysts Diego Balado andMarcelo Balboa.[21] Fox used 24 conventional cameras, including four forslow motion replays, askycam, and a helicopter, along with 14 field microphones.[43] The match was also carried byESPN International in Latin America and Africa,DAZN in Europe and Brazil,Abu Dhabi Sports in the Middle East and North Africa, andSky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[44][45]
The U.S. broadcast drew 2.16 million viewers, with 1.49 million on Fox and 668,000 on Univision, and had a nationalNielsen rating of 0.69.[22][46] It was the second-largest domestic television audience for an MLS Cup final after the1997 edition and increased by 38 percent from the2021 edition.[24] The match was also the second-most-watched club soccer broadcast of 2022 in the United States behind theUEFA Champions League Final.[24] The MLS Cup final's penalty shootout was watched by approximately 26 percent of all households in thePhiladelphia market; the market was also the largest for the Fox broadcast with a rating that averaged 4.78 (347,000 viewers) and peaked at 7.6 (552,000 viewers).[22] The second-highest rating in theHouston market was one-third of Philadelphia's and is thought to have been affected by theWorld Series, which Fox broadcast immediately after the match.[22] The largest market for the Univision broadcast was Los Angeles with a 1.06 rating, which made it the second-most-watched LAFC match in their home market after the2019 Conference Semifinal against LA Galaxy.[47]
The2021 match was broadcast in the United States onABC in English andUniMás andTUDN in Spanish. The Canadian broadcast was carried onTSN in English andTVA Sports in French.[49] The ABC broadcast featuredJon Champion as the play-by-play announcer andTaylor Twellman as color commentator, along with Sam Borden as sideline reporter andMark Clattenburg as rules analyst.[31] It was filmed with 28 cameras, including nine fixed cameras, four goalpost cameras, and askycam above the pitch.[50] The UniMás broadcast featured commentary from Luis Omar Tapia, Diego Balado, Ramses Sandoval, and Daniel Nohra.[51] The match was also broadcast internationally in 200 countries, including onESPN International in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania.[31][52]
The ABC broadcast was watched by an average of 1.14 million viewers, peaking at 1.63 million during the penalty shootout. It was slightly higher than theFox broadcast forMLS Cup 2020 and 38 percent higher than theMLS Cup 2019 broadcast on ABC, but lower than the Thanksgiving playoff match featuring Colorado and Portland.[53] The top viewing markets included Portland, where the match garnered a 11.7 rating,Greenville, South Carolina,Seattle, andNew York City.[54] The UniMás and TUDN broadcast in Spanish drew 354,000 viewers.[55]
The2020 match was broadcast in English byFox in the United States andTSN in Canada.UniMás andUnivision Deportes carried the Spanish broadcast in the United States, whileTVA Sports carried the French broadcast in Canada.[56] The match was also broadcast in 190 countries by several international networks, includingESPN Latin America,BeIN Sports, andAbu Dhabi Sports.[57] The MLS Cup final was watched by 1.071 million spectators on Fox, an increase of 30 percent from 2019, and 459,000 on UniMás in the United States.[58][59]
On ABC, ESPN'sJon Champion called theplay-by-play withcolor commentatorTaylor Twellman, who also hosted previews onSportsCenter andESPN+.[110] The Univision broadcast featured Jorge Luis López Salido, Raúl Guzmán, Diego Balado, andMarcelo Balboa.[111] The TSN broadcast, which included a simulcast onTSN Radio 1050 in the Toronto area, was headlined by play-by-play commentator Luke Wileman and color analystSteven Caldwell.[65][112] On ESPN International, Spanish commentary was provided by Mauricio Pedroza and Herculez Gomez in Central America, and Hernán De Lorenzi and Pedro Wolff in South America. Portuguese commentary was done by Everaldo Marques and Gustavo Hofman.[109]
The ABC broadcast averaged 823,000 viewers and peaked in the second half with 1.1 million viewers, including a 13.2 local rating in the Seattle–Tacoma market.[113] The Univision broadcast averaged 447,000 viewers;[114] the TSN4 broadcast in Canada averaged 748,000 viewers.[115]
The Fox broadcast onterrestrial television earned a 1.2 metered market rating, the highest for an MLS Cup final since 1998.[120] The broadcast drew an average of approximately 1.56 million viewers, representing a 91 percent increase from Fox's last broadcast in2016.[121][122]
The ESPN broadcast registered a 0.7Nielsen rating, up 75 percent from theMLS Cup 2015 broadcast on ESPN.[128] The ESPN and Spanish language broadcasts in the United States drew an audience of 1.1 million combined viewers, a 43 percent decline from the 2016 final.[129] The TSN broadcast drew an audience of 1.3 million viewers in Canada, a 13.3 percent decline from the 2016 final.[130]
The 2016 final set a new record for Major League Soccer viewership, with a total of 3.5 million viewers across all channels. Fox's broadcast reached 1.4 million viewers and was the most-watched English language broadcast of the MLS Cup in the United States since2001. The Spanish-language broadcast on UniMás had an average 601,000 viewers. In Canada, an estimated audience of 1.5 million viewers watched the match on TSN and RDS, setting a new MLS record.[133][134] TheSeattle–Tacomatelevision market generated a 9.9household rating for the match.[133]
Fox and TSN broadcast pre-game shows on their respective networks, in addition to regular coverage.[132] Fox also broadcast the MLS Cup using avirtual reality app for the first time.[135]
From 2015 to 2022, all MLS Cup playoff games were televised on ESPN,Fox Sports, orUnivisión networks. UniMás aired two exclusive playoff matches, while ESPN and its affiliated networks split the rest of the contests – including MLS Cup – with Fox Sports. Univision, UniMás and TUDN also aired the MLS Cup playoffs in Spanish.[136]
In 2015,Fox won the rights to air games and theMLS Cup in even numbered years.John Strong was named the network's main voice for their coverage until 2022, when Fox Sports lost the main rights toApple TV. However, after talks broke down with bothUnivision andESPN, Fox will be the sole linear broadcasting partner for the league from 2023 onward.[137][138][139][140] Under the new deal, Fox will air 34 MLS matches (15 on the Fox network and the rest on FS1), eight playoff games, and eachMLS Cup through the 2026 season. These matches will also air in Spanish onFox Deportes orFS2.[141][142]
The2011 match kicked off at 9:00 pmEST and was broadcast onESPN for the third consecutive year, as well asGalavisión in the U.S. and onTSN2 in Canada. Additionally, it was aired during prime time for the third consecutive year.[143]
The2010 match was televised live in the United States onESPN, making it the second consecutive year in league history the station carried the match live.[144] The broadcast was available in1080phigh definition.[102] Play-by-play announcerIan Darke and color commentatorJohn Harkes were in the booth. Darke was commentating his firstMLS Cup final, making him the first British-speaker to commentate an MLS Cup match.[145] The pre-game show was hosted byMax Bretos withAlexi Lalas andSteve McManaman. The pregame show was a record-tying one hour before the match itself. The same crew did the post-game show, which was 30 minutes following the match.[146]
Prior to the start of the actual match, ESPN suffered severe criticism from fans and the media for their irregular information regarding the championship.[147] At one point, ESPN posted on their website the wrong venue for the championship match,[148] and even failed to mention that the game itself was being carried on one of their channels.[147]
With an average U.S. audience of 1.1 million viewers, the broadcast earned aNielsen rating of 0.4, it was the lowest-ratedMLS Cup broadcast in league history.[149] This marked the ninth consecutive year in MLS Cup history that the league championship has failed to draw at least 1% of U.S. households watching television.[149] Many believed the reason was because the two sides playing in the cup final were among the least-supported clubs in the league. The 0.4 television rating was a 44% percent decline from2009,[150] in which there was a 0.9 rating nationwide.[151]
The telecast's individual ratings in theDenver andDallas–Fort Worth metropolitan areas have yet been disclosed.[149] The numbers, were nearly 50% lower than the numbers Los Angeles and Salt Lake drew last year, where the Los Angeles area drew a 1.9 rating, while Salt Lake drew a 5.8 rating.[152] Other reasons the ratings were very poor was the fact it was played primetime on a Sunday evening,[153] when theAmerican Music Awards was live onABC; although the AMA's drew weaker network ratings than last year's MLS Cup final.[154] Additionally,NBC'sSunday Night FootballNFL matchup between thePhiladelphia Eagles andNew York Giants was given blame for drawing viewers away from MLS.
It is undisclosed what the ratings were for Canadian audiences and the Toronto area.[149]
TheMLS Cup had been broadcast on ABC each year from 1996 to 2008, but with ratings declining from 1.4, in 1996 and 1997, to 0.6 in 2008, the MLS Cup was moved to ESPN at the start of 2009.[194]
The2009 MLS Cup final was televised in the United States onESPN andESPN360.com in English andGalavisión in Spanish.[195]GolTV Canada broadcast the match in Canada,[196] andESPN International carried the match in 122 countries, primarily in Latin America, the Middle East, and Oceania.[156] This was the first edition of the MLS Cup to be carried on a cable network, as the previous thirteen were onABC, and was scheduled later at night to compete withNBC Sunday Night Football.[197] ESPN covered the match using 19 cameras and several digital features, including player tracking statistics and an offside line displayed oninstant replays.[156]JP Dellacamera was the lead play-by-play commentator andJohn Harkes provided color commentary.[198] The network's coverage of the final was later criticized by Salt Lake City-area media outlets for its favoritism of the Galaxy.[199]
MLS Cup coverage in Canada started in 2007, with the addition ofToronto FC to MLS. The MLS Cup bounced around different networks in the first three seasons of the league's presence in Canada; what was then thebold network aired the 2007 Cup Final, withCBC airing the next year's Final andGolTV Canada airing the Final the year after that. Since 2010,TSN has aired the MLS Cup Final on its networks; this includesToronto FC's victory in 2017. In French,RDS has exclusive rights to MLS, and thus the MLS Cup.
In August 2006, MLS and ESPN announced an eight-year contract spanning 2007–2014, giving the league its first rights-fee agreement worth $8 million annually.[207] This deal gave league a regular primetime slot on Thursdays, televised coverage of the first round of theMLS SuperDraft, and an expanded presence on other ESPN properties such as ESPN360 (nowESPN3) and Mobile ESPN. The agreement also placed each season's opening match,All-Star Game, and MLS Cup on ABC.
The2004 MLS Cup final was televised in the United States onABC in English, along with a Spanish broadcast usingsecondary audio programming, both produced byESPN. English play-by-play commentary was provided byJP Dellacamera with color analysis byEric Wynalda, reprising their roles in the previous final. Play-by-play commentator Ernesto Motta returned to the Spanish-language broadcast, working alongside color analyst Robert Sierra. The ABC/ESPN broadcast was produced by a team of 85 people and used 20 cameras, including specialized replay and slow-motion cameras. The match was also broadcast in over 175 other countries byESPN International. The ABC broadcast earned aNielsen rating of 0.8 and averaged a local 2.4 rating in theKansas City metropolitan area—far below the competingKansas City Chiefs game.[213][214]
The2003 MLS Cup final was televised in the United States onABC in English and Spanish usingsecondary audio programming. English play-by-play commentary was provided byJP Dellacamera with color analysis byTy Keough, reprising their roles atMLS Cup 2002. Play-by-play commentator Ernesto Motta returned from the previous cup's Spanish-language broadcast, working alongside color analyst Robert Sierra. ABC/ESPN provided a total of 20 cameras, including aerial coverage from aGoodyear Blimp.
The2002 MLS Cup final was televised in the United States onABC in English and Spanish usingsecondary audio programming. English play-by-play commentary was provided byJP Dellacamera with color analysis byTy Keough; the pregame and half-time shows were hosted byTerry Gannon andEric Wynalda, reprising their roles from ABC's coverage of the2002 FIFA World Cup.[215][216] The Spanish broadcast was handled by play-by-play commentator Ernesto Motta and color analyst Andres Rodriguez.[217] The ABC broadcast was watched by an estimated audience of 1.2 million views, the lowest for an MLS Cup at the time.[218]
The2001 MLS Cup final was televised in the United States onABC in English and Spanish. The network moved the start time of the match by one hour from 1:30 p.m.Eastern Time to 12:30 p.m. to accommodate scheduling changes caused by the September 11 attacks.[189] The English commentary crew consisted ofJack Edwards for play-by-play,Ty Keough withcolor analysis, and other programming hosted byRob Stone andDave Dir.[189] The Spanish broadcast was transmitted oversecondary audio programming on ABC and was headlined by play-by-play commentator Hammer Londoño and color analyst Hernan Pereyra of Radio Unica. The match was also broadcast in 108 other countries byESPN International.[219] The ABC broadcast earned a 1.0Nielsen rating, beating the previous two editions of the cup.[220]
The1999 MLS Cup final was broadcast in the United States byABC with English commentary, and Spanish commentary was available viasecondary audio programming. The ABC broadcast was led by play-by-play announcer Phil Schoen and color commentatorTy Keough, who were joined by studio hostRob Stone. MLS players John Harkes andAlexi Lalas joined the pre-game and half-time broadcasts as co-hosts.[226] ABC deployed 18 cameras for the match and added field microphones to capture crowd noise.[241][242] The television broadcast on ABC drew a 1.0national rating, a 17 percent decline from 1998, partially due to competition fromNational Football League games.[243]
The1998 MLS Cup final was broadcast in the United States onABC with English commentary and Spanish viasecondary audio programming. For the third consecutive year, the ABC broadcast was led by play-by-play announcer Phil Schoen and color commentatorTy Keough, who were joined by field reportersSeamus Malin and Bill McDermott. The quartet had worked together on the network's World Cup broadcasts.[244] The television broadcast drew a 1.2national rating and reached an estimated 1 million households, a 33 percent decrease from previous finals.[245][246]
The1997 match was broadcast onABC in the United States, where it was watched by an estimated television audience of 2.2 million viewers, setting a record that would stand until the2016 final.[247] Phil Schoen andTy Keough reprised their roles from the previous final as play-by-play andcolor commentator, respectively.[248] The match was also televised in more than 100 foreign markets byESPN International;[249] it was the first MLS Cup to be broadcast in the United Kingdom, where it aired onEurosport.[250]
Theinaugural MLS Cup final was broadcast in the United States onABC in English, with a broadcast team that was used by ESPN for its previous MLS matches during the regular season and playoffs.[239] Phil Schoen was the play-by-play commentator, whileTy Keough and Bill McDermott providedcolor analysis;[239]Roger Twibell was the studio anchor and was joined by Revolution defenderAlexi Lalas, who also performed the national anthem with his electric guitar.[251][252] The final reached an estimated audience of 1.6 million viewers, exceeding league expectations but falling short of other sports programming from that day.[253] In local markets, the match had an estimatedNielsen rating of 2.4 in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and 3.3 in Greater Los Angeles.[254]
On March 15, 1994, Major League Soccer withESPN andABC Sports announced the league's first television rights deal without any players, coaches, or teams in place.[255] The three-year agreement committed 10 games on ESPN, 25 onESPN2, and theMLS Cup onABC. The deal gave MLS no rights fees but split advertising revenue between the league and networks.
The MLS Cup Final has also been aired on Spanish-language networksTeleFutura in 2007 and 2008,[265][266]Galavision from 2009 to 2011,[267][268] TeleFutura /UniMás from 2012 to 2018, and Univision in 2019. The 2020 MLS Cup had 1.677 million viewers. Simulcast audiences were listed as FOX with 1.071 million viewers, UniMas with 459,000 and TUDN with 147,000[269][270]
In the Columbus area, the2023 final was broadcast on radio stationWBNS with play-by-play commentary from Chris Doran. In the Los Angeles area, the match was carried on radio stationsKSPN in English and980 AM La Mera Mera in Spanish.[271]
The2018 match was broadcast on theSiriusXM satellite radio network, with commentary fromJoe Tolleson,Tony Meola, andBrian Dunseth.[274] The MLS Cup final was broadcast on television in over 170 countries, mainly onEurosport andFox Sports Latin America.[275][276] The Dutch Eurosport broadcast marked the last match for commentator Frank Kramer, who spent most of the MLS Cup final giving monologues and telling stories instead of commenting on the match.[277]
The1998 match was broadcast by local radio affiliates in multiple languages. In Chicago,WZCH carried the English broadcast,WRZA carried Spanish commentary, andWKTA had the match inPolish.[284] The Spanish broadcast was aired onWACA in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area.[285]
^"ESPN Presents 2017 MLS Cup".ESPN MediaZone (Press release). ESPN. December 7, 2017.Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. RetrievedDecember 22, 2017.
^"ESPN Presents 2017 MLS Cup".ESPN MediaZone (Press release). ESPN. December 7, 2017.Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. RetrievedDecember 22, 2017.
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