About two-thirds of the way through their first season together, it sure is looking like the decision for MLS to move from Fox Soccer to NBC could be one of the smartest things the league has ever done. As this New York Times story details, ratings have been relatively awesome on the newest TV partnership (I say “relatively” because using “awesome” and “ratings” when talking about MLS requires it), and could finally be the magic bullet MLS has been looking for.
MLS’s Move To NBC May Be Best Thing League Has Ever Done
Apparently, each of the last seven MLS broadcasts on NBC Sports Network have been better than any broadcast last season on Fox Soccer and the ratings have basically doubled in comparison to this point last year.
The reasons seems to be obvious: Instead of treating MLS like a red-headed step-child, NBC is promoting the games and making sure people know they are there. The broadcasts themselves have been very good, too.
Now, they are adding the bonus coverage that so many of us have been longing for by doing a series called "MLS 36" which looks at 36 hours in the life of a player. The first one airs on Sunday and features Chris Wondolowski and that will be followed up by one with Fredy Montero.
Generally speaking, we’re still talking about pretty small numbers. But the numbers seem to have settled around 200,000 with as many as 400,000 catching some games. That’s still a far cry from where they want to be, but for the first time in a long time there’s at least reason to think people will tune in.
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