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Sky Sports scores US Major League Soccer exclusive against BT

Back of the net! Sky Sports has bagged broadcast rights to broadcast Major League Soccer in the UK. 

After striking a deal with America’s top-flight football league, Sky has scored another blow against BT Sport in the ongoing battle for dominance of live TV sport. 

Previously, Major League Soccer matches could be viewed on BT Sport but Sky’s agreement with the league will see them given exclusive rights to broadcast at least two MLS league matches each week. 

On top of this, the deal will see Sky Sports viewers able to get the AT&T MLS All-Star Game, every MLS Cup Playoff game and the MLS Cup final. 

Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “Football in the US and Canada has enormous potential for growth and we can’t wait to bring this competition to our viewers for the first time. Thierry Henry has joined us, he created fantastic memories in MLS, and we look forward to seeing more of those great stories from across the Atlantic.

“We offer an unrivalled range of sport across our seven channels and we are always looking to offer more choice. After recently adding football from Holland, Italy and UEFA European qualifiers, we are delighted to now add MLS to that list.”

The deal was also given a resounding thumbs-up by former England Captain, David Beckham, who added: “This is another important moment that shows the continued growth of MLS. I have seen first-hand how popular soccer has become in America. Having fantastic partners such as Sky Sports on board will not only add to the coverage of the game, it will also broaden its appeal outside of US.”

Sky recently splurged £4.2 billion on broadcast rights for the lion’s share of English Premier League games for the next three seasons. This follow’s BT’s £897 million shell out for rights to all UEFA Champions League from 2015/18. 

 

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