NEW YORK (Monday, February 14, 2011) – Today Major League Soccer announced a new, six year broadcast rights agreement with TSN, Canada’s most-watched specialty network. In 2011, TSN and TSN2 will combine to broadcast 24 regular season games live – all involving at least one of the two Canadian-based clubs in MLS – Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
This season, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will feature 13 times each on TSN/TSN2, including the first two all-Canadian matches in MLS history on March 19 and June 29. Beginning next year, TSN and TSN2 will combine to broadcast 30 regular season MLS games featuring at least one Canadian club.
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 U.S.-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.
“We are very pleased to partner with TSN, the leading sports network in Canada,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “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. We look forward to building the sport together and creating an exciting multi-media platform for soccer fans throughout the country.”
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.”
All MLS games on TSN and TSN2 will be broadcast in High Definition.
The schedule of matches on TSN/TSN2 is below:
2011 MLS Broadcast Schedule (TSN & TSN2). Home team listed first; all times Eastern; subject to change
March
• Saturday, March 19 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC, 6:30 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, March 26 - Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers, 2 p.m. (TSN)
April
• Saturday, April 2 - Toronto FC vs. Chivas USA - 1 p.m. (TSN)
• Wednesday, April 6 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. New England Revolution, 10 p.m. (TSN)
May
• Saturday, May 28 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. New York Red Bulls, 7 p.m. (TSN2)
June
• Saturday, June 4 - Toronto FC vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, June 11 - Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10 p.m. (TSN2)
• Wednesday, June 15 - New England Revolution vs. Toronto FC, 8 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, June 25 - Sporting Kansas City vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 8:30 p.m. (TSN)
• Wednesday, June 29 - Toronto FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 7:30 p.m. (TSN)
July
• Wednesday, July 6 - New York Red Bulls vs. Toronto FC, 8 p.m. (TSN)
• Wednesday, July 6 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Columbus Crew, 10 p.m. (TSN)
• Wednesday, July 20 - Toronto FC vs. FC Dallas, 8 p.m. (TSN)
• Wednesday, July 20 - San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10 p.m. (TSN)
• Wednesday, July 27 - AT&T MLS All Star Game, 8:30 p.m. ( TSN)
• Saturday, July 30 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. LA Galaxy, 7:30 p.m. (TSN)
August
• Saturday, Aug. 6 - D.C. United vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, Aug. 20 - Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, Aug. 27 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 7 p.m. (TSN2)
September
• Saturday, Sept. 17 - Toronto FC vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, Sept. 24 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 7:30 p.m. (TSN)
October
• Saturday, Oct. 1 - Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, Oct. 15 - Philadelphia Union vs. Toronto FC, 4 p.m. (TSN)
• Saturday, Oct. 22 - Toronto FC vs. New England Revolution, 12:30 p.m. (TSN)
Note: To accommodate TSN’s exclusive broadcast windows above in Canada, the following changes were made to the MLS regular season schedule announced Feb. 10:
5/28 TOR vs. PHI is now at 4pm ET
10/15 PHI vs. TOR now at 4pm ET on TSN
