MLS commissioner Don Garber discusses expansion, Apple TV deal and more in exclusive interview
1 year, 9 months ago

MLS commissioner Don Garber discusses expansion, Apple TV deal and more in exclusive interview

New York Times  

As Don Garber enters his 23rd year as the commissioner of Major League Soccer, the league is at a pivotal moment in its history. Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayre once called the idea of MLS owners voting for promotion and relegation akin to “turkeys voting for thanksgiving.” “This is the ‘never say never’ thing,” said Garber. “They don’t have to build stadiums on their own dime and then, if they don’t win, all of a sudden they have to play in another league,” said Garber. “I’ve been in this job a long time, and I’m going to be in it a while longer,” said Garber, who has served as MLS’ commissioner since 1999. “With MLS Next Pro, we’re building a third division in our country,” said Garber.

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History of this topic

Apple TV deal could hurt efforts by MLS to grow its fan base
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Apple TV deal could hurt efforts by MLS to grow its fan base

LA Times  

Major League Soccer’s deal with Apple TV might be good for the league, but it could be preventing casual fans from watching games. While the MLS Cup final between the Galaxy and New York Red Bulls will be shown on Fox and Fox Deportes, the majority of games are now exclusively behind a paywall, courtesy of the league’s broadcasting deal …

MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s contract extended through 2027
2 weeks, 5 days ago

MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s contract extended through 2027

Associated Press  

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber’s contract has been extended by the league’s Board of Governors through 2027. The league confirmed the extension on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s MLS Cup final between the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls. Garber introduced the league’s marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, encouraged construction of soccer-specific stadiums and spurred the growth …

Commissioner Don Garber celebrates 25 years at the helm of Major League Soccer
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Commissioner Don Garber celebrates 25 years at the helm of Major League Soccer

Associated Press  

Don Garber never pretended to know everything about soccer, but he did know business, and that’s served him well as the head of Major League Soccer for the past 25 years. He introduced the league’s marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, encouraged the construction of soccer-specific stadiums and spurred the growth of an academy system to develop players in the United …

MLS Commissioner Don Garber says league is ‘very prepared’ to deal with referee lockout
10 months ago

MLS Commissioner Don Garber says league is ‘very prepared’ to deal with referee lockout

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi’s first full season in Major League Soccer started with replacement officials Wednesday when Inter Miami played host to Real Salt Lake, and Commissioner Don Garber said the league is not sure what will happen next. “I can’t remember, in my 40 years in sports, of having a bargaining unit reach an agreement and not …

MLS might open season with replacement referees after labor deal is rejected
10 months, 1 week ago

MLS might open season with replacement referees after labor deal is rejected

LA Times  

Major League Soccer might open its regular season Wednesday using replacement officials after members of the Professional Soccer Referees Assn. “It’s extremely disappointing that the officials have voted against the tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement,” Nelson Rodríguez, the MLS executive vice president of sporting product and competition, said in a statement. “PRO has informed us of its …

MLS and Apple announce all-access docuseries chronicling 2024 season
11 months, 1 week ago

MLS and Apple announce all-access docuseries chronicling 2024 season

Associated Press  

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Apple TV and Major League Soccer are expanding their collaboration, announcing Thursday that the looming MLS season will be chronicled in a new all-access docuseries similar to the ones that have given fans a deep, different look at golf, auto racing and tennis in recent months. The league is entering the second year of a 10-year …

MLS commissioner isn’t adding fourth designated player after ‘most successful season’
1 year ago

MLS commissioner isn’t adding fourth designated player after ‘most successful season’

LA Times  

MLS commissioner Don Garber gave his annual state of the league address Friday. “The eyes of the world are now on Major League Soccer, because the best player to ever play the game is here.” So if the league’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it. When San Diego joins MLS next season, it will become the league’s 30th …

News Analysis: Why is MLS embracing a playoff format disliked by players and fans?
1 year, 1 month ago

News Analysis: Why is MLS embracing a playoff format disliked by players and fans?

LA Times  

LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, left, greets forward Mario González during the second half of LAFC’s win over Vancouver in the first game of their MLS Cup playoff series on Saturday night. And the early results suggest the fans aren’t buying it, with several thousand empty seats watching both LAFC and the Philadelphia Union roll to convincing wins in the first …

Next NBA media rights deal already subject of speculation before negotiations even start
1 year, 1 month ago

Next NBA media rights deal already subject of speculation before negotiations even start

Associated Press  

The NBA will have its own version of March Madness this season. “You’re clearly seeing an evolution or a morphing of media moving continually to streaming services.. Obviously other entrants in the market would potentially be interested.” The league’s 45-day negotiation period with the incumbents, ESPN/ABC and TNT, for the next media rights deal formally begins March 9. ESPN’s Wednesday …

MLS on a ‘rocket ship’ headed for new heights with Lionel Messi – Don Garber
1 year, 5 months ago

MLS on a ‘rocket ship’ headed for new heights with Lionel Messi – Don Garber

The Independent  

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Commissioner Don Garber says Major League Soccer is …

Saudi spending spree won’t harm MLS’s Messi-led global push, says Garber
1 year, 5 months ago

Saudi spending spree won’t harm MLS’s Messi-led global push, says Garber

The Hindu  

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said Saudi Arabia’s big spending on international players won’t hamper his league’s plans for a global push after the arrival of Lionel Messi. Englishmen Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, Italians Andrea Pirlo and Giorgio Chiellini and Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic are among the bigger names to have moved to the North American league. “So I …

MLS commissioner Don Garber ‘not threatened’ by Saudi league’s growing influence
1 year, 5 months ago

MLS commissioner Don Garber ‘not threatened’ by Saudi league’s growing influence

New York Times  

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said he is “not threatened” by the growing influence of the Saudi Professional League in the global football landscape. Speaking with a small group of reporters ahead of Inter Miami’s event to introduce Lionel Messi to fans at DRV PNK Stadium, Garber said the Saudi league’s growing influence speaks to the efforts in “emerging …

MLS commissioner won’t rule out promotion, relegation system for league in future
1 year, 9 months ago

MLS commissioner won’t rule out promotion, relegation system for league in future

New York Times  

MLS commissioner Don Garber is willing to concede that at some point in the future promotion and relegation may exist in the United States, but also suggested he sees no way “that it works today.” “This is the ‘never say never’ thing,” Garber said. That might exist at some point in the future, maybe way after I’m no longer the …

MLS and Apple: The grand media experiment begins, plus Pac-12 media thoughts
1 year, 9 months ago

MLS and Apple: The grand media experiment begins, plus Pac-12 media thoughts

New York Times  

Taylor Twellman is an unapologetic apostle for the partnership between MLS and Apple. He had a terrific broadcast career going at ESPN — along with being the face of that network’s soccer coverage, Twellman enjoyed the contractual flexibility to morph onto the network’s news and debate shows — but he left the company in January to be part of a …

Apple embraces potential of sports streaming with MLS deal
1 year, 10 months ago

Apple embraces potential of sports streaming with MLS deal

Associated Press  

CUPERTINO, Calif. — After taking its first dip into sports streaming last year, Apple is now immersing itself. The NFL further embraced streaming last year as Prime Video carried “Thursday Night Football” and Major League Baseball partnered with Apple TV and Peacock to stream games. MLB aired two games on Apple TV+ on Friday nights last year, including the game …

Apple set to enter the bidding war for English Premier League streaming rights
1 year, 11 months ago

Apple set to enter the bidding war for English Premier League streaming rights

India TV News  

Tech giant Apple is preparing a bid for the rights to stream the English Premier League in the UK, media reports suggest. The Premier League's three-year agreement with UK-based Sky Sports and BT Sport expires in 2025, according to The Daily Mail, and bidding for the next set of rights is scheduled to begin later this year. The report says …

Why Apple TV has become the exclusive streaming home for Major League Soccer
2 years, 6 months ago

Why Apple TV has become the exclusive streaming home for Major League Soccer

LA Times  

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget, left, kicks the ball during an MLS game against FC Dallas in July 2021 in Carson. Major League Soccer has awarded the exclusive global streaming rights to its games to Apple in a 10-year deal, further cementing the tech giant’s foray into live sports. Apple landed an exclusive package of Friday night Major League …

MLS agrees to 10-year broadcast deal with Apple worth $2.5 billion: Sources
2 years, 6 months ago

MLS agrees to 10-year broadcast deal with Apple worth $2.5 billion: Sources

New York Times  

Major League Soccer has agreed to a new broadcast agreement with Apple that multiple industry sources pegged at 10 years, $2.5 billion. Any matches broadcast on ESPN, Fox, Univision or any other linear networks will also be shown on Apple TV. Apple TV matches will not be shown on local television networks, meaning MLS fans will need to subscribe to …

How will MLS’ Apple TV deal affect the league? Everything we know about the agreement
2 years, 6 months ago

How will MLS’ Apple TV deal affect the league? Everything we know about the agreement

New York Times  

Major League Soccer on Tuesday announced a groundbreaking new broadcast deal with Apple that, according to industry sources, will see the tech giant pay the league a minimum of $2.5 billion over the next 10 years. Fans who want to listen to a local voice will have the option to mute the Apple TV commentary team and listen to their …

MLS concerned after COVID-19 takes bite out of 2020 revenue
4 years ago

MLS concerned after COVID-19 takes bite out of 2020 revenue

The Hindu  

Major League Soccer suffered nearly one billion USD revenue hit compared to last year due to COVID-19 but is hopeful 2021 will bring a reprieve as it plans to launch its new season on schedule next March, Commissioner Don Garber said on Tuesday. “We are concerned about what this will look like leading into 2021 and are working at figuring …

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