For this week’s mailbag, we’re doing something a little different. Many soccer fans in the US will certainly have questions about <a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MLS Season Pass</a> for the upcoming season, and now is your chance to ask them. The new dedicated streaming service for MLS is a part of a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/06/14/mls-signs-10-year-deal-with-apple-tv-in-global-deal/">10-year deal with Apple TV.</a> 



Whether it’s about kickoff times, cost, what devices you can stream from, or anything else, hit us with your questions in the comments below, and we’ll answer them all in an upcoming video. In the video, we’ll read out your name on-air.



The landmark deal with Apple will see every regular season game, MLS Cup playoffs, and Leagues Cup match available to subscribers, no matter where you are. That means no more pesky blackouts. There will be additional team content, MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT games, and other bells-and-whistles too.



<a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MLS Season Pass</a> is a dramatic break from the traditional TV deals the league has had in the past. While some games <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/mls-picks-up-linear-tv-deals-with-fox-and-univision-20221213-WST-412291.html">will still be on traditional TV</a>, the vast majority will be streaming only. No more regional sports networks or local TV deals. It will be interesting to see if other sports leagues in the US go a similar route in the future.



The new MLS Season Pass deal comes at a time of competition change for MLS as well. The expanded Leagues Cup is now a legitimate multinational tournament, featuring every MLS and Liga MX team, with Champions League spots on the line. This season also sees additional Champions League qualification changes as well, as that competitions has been revamped for 2024. 



<h4>Ask your MLS Season Pass questions</h4>



Seasoned MLS fans and newcomers alike will need to get familiar with the new platform to follow the league. If you’re a hardcore fan of a single club, MLS Season pass is essential.



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="MLS SEASON PASS | AMA: Answering your questions ⚽️" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XCtsOMAr_Xo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<div style="background:#f9e4ea;padding:10px;">
<h3>Guide to Major League Soccer</h3>
<div style="padding:10px;">
Here are some resources to help you get the most out of MLS Season Pass!</div>
<div style="padding:10px;">
<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">TV Schedule:</a> All the info on <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">where and when to watch</a> every game</div>
<div style="padding:10px;">
<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/mls-season-pass-faq-20230203-WST-413216.html/">Season Pass FAQ:</a> We <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/mls-season-pass-faq-20230203-WST-413216.html/">answer your questions</a> about MLS Season Pass</div>
<div style="padding:10px;">
<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/how-to-get-mls-season-pass-20230203-WST-417725.html">Sign up:</a> Learn <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/how-to-get-mls-season-pass-20230203-WST-417725.html">how to subscribe</a> to MLS Season Pass</div>
<div style="padding:10px;">
<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/mls-season-pass-announcers-and-analysts-for-apple-deal-20230203-WST-416042.html">Commentators:</a> Check out <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/mls-season-pass-announcers-and-analysts-for-apple-deal-20230203-WST-416042.html">who&apos;s</a> calling the action for the MLS season</div>
<div style="padding:10px;">
<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/how-to-watch-mls-season-pass-on-android-20230203-WST-416910.html">Android users</a> Tips for fans <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/how-to-watch-mls-season-pass-on-android-20230203-WST-416910.html">Android users</a> on how to watch MLS Season Pass</div>
</div>

We're taking all your questions about MLS Season Pass AMA, and we'll be answering them soon in a special feature.

MLS Season Pass: Ask me anything - World Soccer Talk

MLS Season Pass: Ask me anything

It’s World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag time again. This week, we’re talking FA Cup and Championship on <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a>, soccer on HBO Max, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup on FOX. Don’t forget to add any questions you might have about soccer and/or streaming in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to answer those next week!



Bill: All 16 matches of the FA Cup [fourth round] were shown by ESPN+ and thats great, but only one of the four Championship matches is on ESPN+. As we all know, on a normal week of 14-15 Championship matches only 3 or 4 are shown on ESPN+. I get that the FA Cup is winner-move-on and the David -Goliath battles plus ESPN gets EPL teams but if they can show so many FA Cup matches, why cant they show more Championship matches?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;It’s a great question, and it’s one we get from time to time. First, let me say that ESPN+ streams all of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/championship-tv-schedule/">Championship games</a> the English Football League (EFL) makes available to them. The reason why the EFL doesn’t provide all games is because almost of the clubs in the Football League have their own streaming services on a platform called iFollow.



For many of the clubs, charging fans to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/efl-ifollow-faq-need-know-football-leagues-new-streaming-service-20170509-CMS-211918.html">watch games via iFollow</a> is an important way to generate more money.



With the Premier League, the league goes to market and offers all of the games to broadcasters. In contrast, the EFL offers broadcasters a limited package that doesn’t include every game.



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="How HBO Max &amp; Telemundo did on USWNT debut" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4vhVvh_wmlE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



Dave: In your recent podcast, you discuss feedback from a commenter seeking a single-team option for Apple/MLS Season Pass. I am curious if anything like this is in consideration for HBO Max (soccer-only plan). Related, while I am very pleased with Peacock so far, I want to sample HBO Max’s USSF coverage for my own curiosity. Is there a month where I might get better value out of $10-$15? Mid-late February for SheBelieves Cup?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;So HBO Max, as we know it, won’t be around for long. Warner Bros recently merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros-Discovery. And if that merger wasn’t enough, the new company aims to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ together into a combined app. The new app is supposed to be called <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/warner-bros-discovery-max-streaming-service-name.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Max</a> with an anticipated launch in Q2 2023.



Reports are that Max may include a separate sports tier.



So while HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial, and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/she-believes-cup-tv-schedule/">SheBelieves Cup</a> is going to be played in February, Warner Bros-Discovery Sports haven’t yet announced their broadcast schedule. 



My recommendation would be to wait another week until we find out from Warner Bros-Discovery Sports what their coverage plans are. And if most of the games are going to be on HBO Max, then February would be an ideal month to take a test drive.



Besides, HBO Max has a ton of great series including the hit series The Last Of Us as well as my personal favorite, the British version of Ghosts.



Cpcva: It’s a bit early but how will FOX broadcast the Women’s World Cup this summer? Will it be on just FS1 and FS2? I have serious doubts it’ll be on big FOX considering the obscene time differences involved.



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;The first two Group Stage games that the US Women’s National Team plays will be live on the FOX network. Those benefit from 9PM ET kickoff times. The third game the USWNT plays is at 3AM ET, so it’s more likely that one will be on FS1.



Unfortunately, the majority of kickoff times for the Women’s World Cup have games in the middle of the night.



Here’s a more detailed article that discusses <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/what-times-are-the-womens-world-cup-games-played-20230118-WST-413603.html">what times the Women’s World Cup games are</a>.



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That’s all for this week. Don’t forget to ask your questions in the comments below, and we’ll answer in the Reader Mailbag next Tuesday.

Don't miss this week's answers to your questions in our weekly Reader Mailbag column where we answer your streaming questions.

Reader Mailbag: Answers to your soccer streaming questions - World Soccer Talk

Reader Mailbag: Answers to your soccer streaming questions

featured

It’s time for another edition of the World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag. This week, we tackle US Open Cup coverage, the Premier League Fan Fest, CONCACAF, Serie A and the FIFA Club World Cup. Don’t forget to add any new questions you might have in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to answer those next week. The questions don’t have to be about streaming. Remember, they can be about soccer too.



Dave: A few US Open Cup questions: 1) Have Turner announced coverage plans and/or outsourced rights to someone else? 2) Which rounds historically are the most entertaining, with a good mix of minnows and big names (like Third/Fourth round proper of FA Cup)? I remember last year having several very fun weeks



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;1) There has been no additional news about the US Open Cup TV coverage since <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/us-open-cup-media-deal-20220216-CMS-371017.html">our story discussed the deal</a> almost twelve months ago. Once we get closer to the First Round in late March, we expect to have more details about the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/02/15/cindy-parlow-cone-talks-us-soccer-media-rights/">media rights</a>.



2) The round when MLS teams start to enter (this year is the third round, April 25-26) where they will potentially face off against lower division professional or even amateur teams is always a lot of fun. Everyone loves a good underdog story and some giant-killing moments. We’re hoping for another Sacramento-type run this year, just like last year when they <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/09/07/orlando-city-wins-us-open-cup/">reached the US Open Cup final</a>.



Dave, thanks for your questions. It’ll certainly be fascinating to see how Warner Bros-Discovery broadcasts the US Open Cup given that last year’s coverage on <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a> was one of the best in recent memory.



Bill: Just wondering if you guys went to Fan Fest in Orlando this past weekend and if not, why not (just being nosey)? I know Fan Fest is a very American sports flashy thing and not the seriousness respect of the sport y’all prefer but it looks fun to be there.



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;We were there. Kartik Krishnaiyer and I arrived on Thursday evening to prepare for our early morning interviews with the talent from NBC Sports on Friday. We interviewed <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/rebecca-lowe-reflects-on-10-years-of-premier-league-on-nbc-20230123-WST-416491.html">Rebecca Lowe</a>, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/tim-howard-on-his-role-as-the-american-voice-of-premier-league-coverage-20230124-WST-416503.html">Tim Howard</a> and The 2 Robbies. Then on Saturday, I interviewed Alan Shearer, Gary Cahill and NBC Sports executives, so keep an eye out for those interviews later in theweek on this website.



Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend there. For me personally, my favorite part was talking to the soccer fans who traveled from across the country to attend the Fan Fest in Orlando. I also loved seeing all of the different shirts that the American soccer fans wore, which was an eclectic mixture of clubs, to say the least.



If you’re reading this and you’ve never attended any of the Fan Fests, I highly recommend you go to the next one. It was so much fun.



Francisco: For next season, is there going to be any streaming service or channel that is going to pick up the rights to broadcast Italian Serie A in Spanish?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;<a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a> continues to have the rights to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/serie-a-tv-schedule/">Serie A</a> in all languages, but so far the streaming service has been reluctant to offer Spanish-language commentary to the games.



Honestly, though, the cost of providing Spanish-language commentary for Serie A matches may be cost prohibitive. I don’t believe there’s enough demand from Spanish-language viewers to make it worthwhile. 



Francisco, I know that other fans of Serie A have asked for Spanish-language commentary too. My advice would be to try to round up more fans on social media, and ask them to <a href="https://help.paramountplus.com/s/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">let Paramount+ know</a> that you want games in Spanish.



Jason: What CONCACAF based competitions are on Paramount+ in 2023?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;Looking ahead to 2023, <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a> has the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/concacaf-nations-league-schedule/">Concacaf Nations League</a>, which returns at the end of March.



Jason: What streaming service has the FIFA Club World Cup in February?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;Great question, Jason. As you probably know, FOX Sports and Telemundo have the television rights to the competition. While FOX Sports still do not have a direct-to-consumer streaming service (other than Tubi, which showed games on demand at the World Cup), your best bet is to watch all of the games in Spanish via <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/330866/1313913/11640" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Peacock Premium</a> for $4.99 per month (which also includes 180 Premier League games per season as well as USMNT and USWNT games).



Presumably FOX Sports will show games via their FOX Sports app.



That’s all for this week. Don’t forget to ask your questions in the comments below, and we’ll answer in the Reader Mailbag next Tuesday

The World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag answers your questions about TV and streaming coverage, and soccer in general, every week.

Reader Mailbag: Answering your soccer questions - World Soccer Talk

Reader Mailbag: Answering your soccer questions

First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for your time in asking such fantastic questions in the very first <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/reader-mailbag-call-for-questions-20230106-WST-414535.html">call for questions</a>. I can’t promise I’ll always have the answers you’re looking for, but my staff (Kyle Fansler, Derek Reese, Chris Moore) and I will endeavor to do our best.



Before we jump into the answers to your questions, be sure to post new questions in the comments section below. Then, every Tuesday, we’ll answer your questions in the Reader Mailbag column.



This week’s questions are grouped by topic:



STREAMING SOCCER



Rachel: Where can I watch Serie A, specifically Salernitana, in the U.S.? Also, do you have any updates on international matches played in the U.S. such as Premier League teams, LaLiga teams, national teams etcetera?



World Soccer Talk: To watch Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 and the vast majority of Serie A games, sign up for Paramount+. Fans of Serie A can get 30 days for free by <a href="https:\/\/paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">activating this offer</a> and using promo code SERIEA.



As for Premier League, LaLiga and national teams as well as other forms of soccer, there are too many options to list right here. But download our free <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/ultimate-soccer-tv-streaming-guide/">Ultimate Soccer TV &amp; Streaming Guide</a>, which includes a link to a PDF that breaks down all of the viewing options.



Jason: Will the Portugese Primeira Liga have new TV or streaming rights in the USA for the 2023/2024 season? It is buried on GolTV right now.



World Soccer Talk: Portugal continues to be a hotbed for talent —&nbsp;either as an initial destination for players signed from South America (<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/chelsea-ready-to-sign-enzo-fernandez-in-january-window-20221228-WST-413594.html">Enzo Fernández</a>, for example) who want to prove themselves in Europe before moving on to a bigger club, or for Portuguese footballers who rise up through the league.



The reality is that it’s still a niche league, though. Yes, it’s buried on GolTV, but all of the major <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/primeira-liga-tv-schedule/">Primeira Liga games</a> are shown on television, which is something that no other US broadcaster can provide. 



It’s likely that the Portuguese league will continue on <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/goltv/">GolTV</a>. That is until a different broadcaster pays more than what GolTV is offering.



Bryan: Seeing that Ligue 1’s deal with beIN Sports expires after next season, it would be nice to get more eyes on the league if they were more accessible to watch than they currently are here in the United States.



World Soccer Talk: France’s Ligue 1 finds itself in a difficult position. Other than beIN SPORTS, there is no other English-language television broadcaster in the United States who can guarantee that every major game from <a href="https:\/\/www.worldsoccertalk.com/ligue-un-tv-schedule">Ligue 1</a> will be shown live in English, Spanish and via streaming.



All of the other broadcasters have competing leagues (CBS with Serie A, for example) or other sports (college football on ESPN) that would prevent the vast majority of games from airing. So that path isn’t viable.



At the same time, as Ligue 1 contemplates its future reach in the United States, perhaps Ligue 1 has found its level with beIN SPORTS. The league has done very little to successfully promote itself in the United States. And despite having a very marketable club such as Paris Saint-Germain under their wings, PSG is more of a UEFA Champions League phenomenon in the United States.



Michal: Why isn’t the Aussie A-League on American TV? Paramount+ shows the A League in Australia, and Paramount+ shows the Asian Champions League in the US. ESPN+ shows the Australian cup. It doesn’t make sense!



World Soccer Talk: Paramount+ has the rights to the <a href="https:\/\/keepup.com.au/news/a-league-men" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australian A-League</a> in Australia. However, the rights to show the league in the United States weren’t purchased by anyone after their contract with ESPN+ ended. You can <a href="https:\/\/www.youtube.com/@keepupfootball/streams" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watch games on YouTube</a>, however.



As for the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/afc-champions-league-tv-schedule/">Asian Champions League</a>, that was a separate rights deal with the AFC, which didn’t include the rights to the A-League.



PEACOCK



Tony: Any idea when Peacock will show games in 4K?



World Soccer Talk: No date has been announced yet. As we <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/08/22/peacock-to-stream-4k-premier-league-games/">first reported</a>, select Premier League games will be in 4K on Peacock this year. In addition to that good news, select games can be heard in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 audio sometime in 2023.



ESPN



Brendan: What happened to Jon Champion, a great commentator on ESPN, who covered MLS? Did he go back to England? I haven’t seen him on any of games.



World Soccer Talk: ESPN commentator Jon Champion has been in the United Kingdom since the 2022 MLS season ended. He’s still under contract for ESPN, but had been given permission to call select <a href="https:\/\/www.premierleague.com/partners/amazon-prime-video" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Premier League games for Amazon Prime</a> in England as well as World Cup games for ITV.



He is back on ESPN though. Champion commentated five English games for <a href="https:\/\/go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a> during the past week from the FA Cup and League Cup.



Judging by the audio quality (as John mentioned in the Reader Mailbag call for questions), Champion is definitely calling games from a studio either in England or the United States. I love Jon Champion’s commentary, but calling games from a sterile-sounding studio instead of from the commentary gantry is not ideal for the viewers.



The big question for Jon Champion is where does he go from here now that ESPN has a very limited number of soccer rights. If MLS isn’t pushing hard to sign him for Apple’s <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/tv/apple-mls-announce-season-pass-for-2023-season-20221116-WST-408593.html">MLS Season Pass</a>, they’re missing out.



<h5>MLS</h5>



Speaking of MLS. Chris has a question.



Chris: Do you have any information about how MLS games will be broadcast on Apple? It would be great to know more about the pre- and post- game plans. Will some local people be part of the broadcasts?



World Soccer Talk: We will have more information in the coming weeks about all aspects of MLS Season Pass coverage. In the meantime, for local coverage, your best bet is to <a href="https:\/\/tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.4000?at=1010l35s4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">subscribe to MLS Season Pass</a>, and then you can use the app to sync the audio from the local radio broadcaster who has the local audio rights to the game.



Based on the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/apple-and-mls-broadcasters-for-mls-season-pass-20230110-WST-415007.html">preliminary list of MLS commentators and analysts</a>, there is some talent that used to work for regional sports networks that now call games for MLS Season Pass. However, there’s no guarantee that Steve Cangialosi, as one example, will call games for the New York Red Bulls. It’s more likely he’ll call a range of different teams across the entire season.

We answer your questions about soccer TV and streaming, ranging from MLS, Serie A and Premier League to Ligue 1, Primeira Liga and more.

Reader Mailbag: Answers to your questions - World Soccer Talk

Reader Mailbag: Answers to your questions

destacadas

World Soccer Talk is launching a brand-new feature to the website. It’s a weekly Reader Mailbag where you can post your questions, and we’ll do our best to answer them in a weekly column.



Listeners of the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/podcast/">World Soccer Talk Podcast</a> are already familiar with the Listener Mailbag segment. Listeners send in their questions on the latest TV and streaming news and what they saw over the past week of world soccer. That segment will continue on the weekly podcast. But the website’s Reader Mailbag is new.



Reader Mailbag works as follows. Post your questions in the comments section about anything in the world of soccer. TV and streaming rights, latest news and updates, hypotheses over the future of the sport, you name it. The Reader Mailbag is a way to raise your questions or comments that World Soccer Talk can answer.



Of course, World Soccer Talk is the leader in soccer media rights news. That is our specialty and expertise. However, any questions or comments you raise in the Reader Mailbag do not have to be solely about TV or streaming. 



World Soccer Talk will then publish the answers in our weekly Reader Mailbag every Tuesday. That post will have answers or comments regarding anything and everything brought up.



Essentially, it is one big discussion to solve any queries the readers have.



<h2>The Reader Mailbag</h2>



Participating in the Reader Mailbag is simple. It is just the comment section. As this is the first post, you can leave any questions or notes using the comment section below. Then, on Tuesday, we will post the completed version of the Reader Mailbag.



From that point on, it will be a weekly discussion. For example, comments left on the Jan. 10 Reader Mailbag will be answered and responded to in the Jan. 17 Reader Mailbag. Then, it becomes a weekly post every Tuesday, giving you, the audience, a chance to take in all the weekend’s action and digest it.



Again, your comments can be anything related to the soccer world. It does not have to be just TV or streaming, although no one covers those topics as thoroughly as World Soccer Talk.

World Soccer Talk launches a brand-new feature called Reader Mailbag where we answer your questions in a new weekly column.