latest articles by Kartik Krishnaiyer
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/ 3407 days agoMLS faces uphill battle trying to improve lagging TV ratings
For almost a decade, Major League Soccer (MLS) executives have become obsessive about television ratings in the United States. While slight upticks in performance have taken place due to improved time slots on both the ESPN and FOX family of networks, the league’s ratings continue to lag well behind where they need to be. MLS has benefited […]
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/ 3431 days agoUS Soccer Federation faces three critical short-term issues
Sunil Gulati is entering perhaps the most critical three-week period of his tenure as US Soccer Federation (USSF) President today. Gulati, who has served since 2006 as the leader of the governing body for the sport in the United States, faces three separate and distinct challenges he must navigate through. 1- US Women’s Equal Pay […]
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/ 3493 days agoChristian Pulisic could help Bundesliga ratings skyrocket on US TV
For years, American soccer fans have desired that one breakout star thrust the sport into the mainstream while playing for a major European club. Every player that has been described as the “next big thing” by fans of US Soccer has tended to fall short of the lofty expectations placed on him. Most have been perfectly good […]
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/ 3547 days agoMLS’s improved TV ratings on FOX and ESPN are only baby steps
Major League Soccer has been touting a TV ratings increase this season on ESPN and FOX platforms as the league breaks for its annual MLS All-Star Game. The ratings have gone up, and that is good news for soccer in America. But a quick peek behind the ratings indicates the league got a boost from […]
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/ 3578 days agoTaylor Twellman rises to number one American soccer analyst
American soccer voices are often criticized in some quarters while being defended as a “cause” in others. The idea of American commentators at a major international event is either seen as parochial to an American audience or simply out of place by many hardcore observers of the sport. At a time when FOX Sports appears to […]
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/ 3588 days agoHighs and lows of FOX Sports' USA vs. Ecuador TV coverage
Sometimes TV ratings can be a false positive. The viewing audience for USA vs. Ecuador on FOX Sports was 1.878 million, the second most-watched men's soccer game on FS1. Based on that metric, you would assume that FOX Sports did a fantastic job of covering the Copa America Centenario quarter-final. Being the only English-language provider […]
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/ 3592 days agoESPN provides FOX Sports a blueprint for World Cup 2018
Hopes were high for ESPN’s coverage of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament as the network has sent close to twenty commentators and reporters to France for the finals. Unlike FOX Sports, whose coverage of the Copa America has been focused around LA-based commentators, US-oriented storylines and light-hearted programming, ESPN has taken a serious “newsy” approach […]
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/ 3595 days agoFOX’s ‘Copa Tonight’ show is a train wreck
ESPN’s Euro 2016 Preview, which aired Thursday night on the main ESPN network, reminded English-language dominant American viewers what a top serious soccer production looks like around a major international tournament. ESPN’s serious preview involved no less than a dozen commentators on site in Paris, a mixture of analysts from different countries and backgrounds as […]
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/ 3605 days agoReview of FOX Sports' UEFA Champions League TV coverage
FOX Sports concluded its seventh successive season of covering the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League competitions on Saturday at the San Siro. While FOX’s coverage of the Bundesliga remains a work in progress, the network’s coverage of UEFA competitions is established and consistent. But the content at times remains subpar and FOX’s studio […]
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/ 3616 days agoReview of FOX’s coverage of the Bundesliga from 2015/16
FOX Sports coverage of soccer can be measured two ways. 1- Against previous poor FOX Sports and FOX Soccer efforts, or 2- Against the superior coverage provided by NBC or ESPN for similar competitions. In this analysis, we’ll attempt to weigh both sides of this equation. Has FOX Sports improved its coverage versus the past […]
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/ 3618 days agoMignolet believes Liverpool has real chance to win Europa League
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet believes that Liverpool has a real chance to win the Europa League final against Sevilla. In an exclusive interview with World Soccer Talk, Mignolet said, "It's always nice to help the team out when needed. That’s part of being a keeper help the team out in critical moments. We want to […]
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/ 3620 days agoSunderland want to sign DeAndre Yedlin on a permanent deal
Sunderland want to sign right back DeAndre Yedlin in a £2 million transfer deal, according to reports out of England today. The potential move could be a big positive for both Sunderland and the American international. Finding a right back with 30 plus international caps under his belt at the age of 22 is rare. But since […]
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/ 3620 days agoReview of NBC’s coverage of 2015/16 Premier League season
Nervousness surrounded American soccer fandom in late August of last year. After two years of outstanding coverage of the Premier League in the United States, it was thought in many quarters that NBC Sports was going to lose the rights to the league to FOX Sports or ESPN. Instead, relief enveloped the soccer community when […]
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/ 3625 days agoWest Ham poised to be next season's Leicester City
As West Ham United and English soccer waved goodbye to the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday night, sentiment enveloped the stadium and club. A passing of an era in the history of this great English club was mourned as the Hammers prepare to move into the massive Olympic Stadium for the 2016-17 Premier League season. The electric […]
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/ 3634 days agoLeicester City’s title-winning has changed Premier League forever
Leicester City's title-winning season has brought more fans to the sport and specifically to the Premier League than just about anything in our lifetime. Against a backdrop of poor results in European competitions as well as the soccer superstars selecting Spain or Germany over England to play their football in — as well as Manchester […]