
<p>FOX’s MLS coverage is doing a disservice to the league this season. </p>



<p>So far for 2023, none of the MLS games televised by FOX Sports are being called on-site. Instead, the duo of John Strong and Stu Holden are doing double duty of providing pre-game studio coverage as well as commentating games. To make matters worse, FOX isn’t even using their own studio. Instead, they’re flying Strong and Holden to a Vista Worldlink studio in South Florida every week. </p>



<p>Perhaps the best word to describe FOX’s MLS coverage is nonsensical. For instance, instead of FOX Sports broadcasting Saturday afternoon’s LAFC-Portland game from the stadium or its studios in Los Angeles, Holden and Strong called the game from the same studio that USL uses in Florida. That’s also the same studio that had a backdrop resembling a <a href="https://twitter.com/worldsoccertalk/status/1629603829258891264" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shower curtain</a> in week one.</p>



<p>The timing couldn’t be worse for MLS and FOX. In the two Saturday games that FOX Sports have shown thus far, they televised the opening games of the weekend. Those broadcasts set the stage for the night of coverage on Apple TV, but because the TV broadcasts start so poorly, it tarnishes the league as a whole.</p>



<h2>FOX’s MLS coverage sets a low bar</h2>



<p>It appears that FOX doesn’t care about the way it broadcasts games. Very little to no effort is put into their work. And at the end of the day, it makes the broadcaster, MLS and league sponsor DoorDash look cheap. It’s also a bad look for talent such as Strong and Holden to be associated with these remote broadcasts. They deserve better.</p>



<p>This is all in stark contrast to the work that MLS and Apple TV are doing with <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>. Week one was <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/mls-season-pass-coverage-review-week-one-first-impressions-20230227-WST-421421.html">impressive</a>, with a few bumps. But week two was slicker. Overall, the league has never looked as good as it has on MLS Season Pass.</p>



<p>Since the games on FOX and FS1 are also on MLS Season Pass, we compared the picture quality and audio side-by-side. Apple TV’s picture is so much crisper. Plus it’s easy to hear the difference in audio quality too. You can tell the MLS Season Pass commentators are inside the stadium, for sure.</p>



<p>How can a league look so bad on television, but so good on streaming? By having the two extremes, the league’s coverage feels disjointed. Based on how much MLS has spent on its streaming coverage and how little FOX has spent on television, the two media are not in alignment.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="MLS SEASON PASS: Taylor Twellman interview 🎙️" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lQWEtsQiGwM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<h2>Week 2 of MLS Season Pass coverage</h2>



<p>We love that MLS and Apple are taking the feedback from fans and critics to heart, and we saw that in week two with plenty of improvements.</p>



<p>The whip-around <em>MLS 360 </em>show was tighter, less talkative and showed loads of game coverage including more instances of allowing us to listen in to the match commentators, which I particularly loved. The addition of listing the announcers at the bottom of the screen when the broadcast tuned into their match commentary was the attention to detail we appreciate.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, the team of Liam McHugh, Sacha Kljestan, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Kaylyn Kyle are working so well together. To me, <em>MLS 360</em> is the best way to watch, learn and appreciate MLS. The news that it’s also <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mls-360-available-to-all-apple-tv-subscribers-20230303-WST-422121.html">available on Apple TV+</a> could give new viewers enough of a taste to add MLS Season Pass to their subscription.</p>



<p>On commentary, the stand-out stars on Saturday night were the duo of Eric Krakauer and Lloyd Sam for their calls of the Columbus-DC United game. Plus the addition of post-match interviews on MLS Season Pass was the cherry on top after hearing Keith Costigan and Brian Dunseth’s exceptional call of the Miami-Philadelphia game. That was followed by Costigan’s solid post-match interview where he got the best out of Inter Miami manager Phil Neville.</p>


<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/"><strong>TV Schedule:</strong></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/"><strong>Season Pass FAQ:</strong></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"><strong>Sign up:</strong></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"><strong>Commentators:</strong></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"><strong>Android users</strong></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>



<p>Any room for improvement? <em>MLS 360</em>‘s fourth hour of coverage on Saturday night lost a lot of energy on-set at the time when Seattle’s game kicked off. Melissa Ortiz sat in to give some insight about the impact of MLS Season Pass in South America. However, by this point in the night, it’s almost as if MLS needed a whole new crew of analysts (or Taylor Twellman) to inject something new into the show to keep the west coast audience entertained.</p>


FOX's MLS coverage for the 2023 season has started poorly. The league's TV broadcaster sets a low bar for its soccer coverage.

FOX's MLS coverage is so bad in contrast to MLS Season Pass - World Soccer Talk

FOX's MLS coverage is so bad in contrast to MLS Season Pass

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<p>While Major League Soccer has a massive streaming deal, MLS has also acquired linear TV rights from both FOX and Univision. The entities announced a four-year deal, even though MLS’s streaming deal with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/apple-mls-announce-season-pass-for-2023-season-20221116-WST-408593.html">MLS Season Pass</a> on Apple is a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/10-things-we-learned-about-mls-and-apple-tv-deal-20221028-WST-406118.html">10-year agreement</a>.</p>



<p>FOX Sports’s channels, namely FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes, have exclusive English- and Spanish-language TV broadcasts of an average of 34 regular season and eight MLS Cup Playoff matches each season. Same goes for the MLS Cup Final. The linear TV home of that for the next four years is FOX for English-language broadcasts, and FOX Deportes for Spanish.</p>



<p>Noticeably, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/univision-acquires-leagues-cup-rights-but-passes-on-mls-20221213-WST-412190.html">Univision is not<strong> </strong>part of the deal</a> with MLS games. However, that does not mean MLS teams entirely exit the channel. Instead, Leagues Cup games, which involve all MLS and Liga MX teams, have a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/univision-acquires-leagues-cup-rights-but-passes-on-mls-20221213-WST-412190.html">linear Spanish-language home on Univision</a>. Select games are also available on UniMás and TUDN.</p>


<table class="table5">
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<td width="30%"><a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="blank" rel="noopener"><div><figure class="image"><img src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20221213_WST_412291_MLSSeasonPass.webp&amp;width=201&amp;height=101" width="201" height="101" alt="MLS Season Pass"></figure></div></a></td>
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<h5 style="color: white;">Includes every MLS match, MLS Cup, Leagues Cup, select MLS NEXT Pro games + exclusive content</h5>
</td>
<td><a class="button" href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: white;"><strong>Browse Offers</strong></span></a></td>
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<p>For English-language Leagues Cup coverage, FOX’s channels have linear broadcasts of those games. The linear channels carry 10 group stage, four round of 32 and two round of 16 clashes. Notably, the Leagues Cup Final does not have English-language linear TV coverage. Instead, that is available exclusively through the <a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4"" target="blank" rel="noopener">MLS Season Pass</a>.</p>



<p>Of course, all MLS and Leagues Cup games are available via streaming from the <a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4"" target="blank" rel="noopener">MLS Season Pass</a> from Apple. This comes at a price point of $14.99 per month or $99 per season.</p>



<h2>MLS announces linear TV deals with FOX and Univision</h2>



<p>It is an unclear future for Major League Soccer. It no longer has games on ESPN, a home for the league since its inception. Also, the lack of Univision is the first time it is not part of the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/mls-apple-fox-univision-espn-20221212.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MLS-specific deal since 2007</a>. Now, all actual league games on TV run through FOX. </p>



<p>As stated, each regular season has 34 games on FOX, FS1 or FOX Deportes. Moreover, 15 of those regular season games are on the FOX channel, which is an OTA channel. Additionally, there are eight Audi MLS Cup Playoff matches on those three channels. However, MLS has had discussion over <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mls-eyes-new-playoff-format-for-2023-20221026-WST-405812.html">changing its playoff structure</a>, bringing the total number of games up to what could be over 30 by this upcoming season. Consequently, there would be just a quarter of games available to linear viewers.</p>



<p><em>Photo credit: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire</em></p>


<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/"><strong>TV Schedule:</strong></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/"><strong>Season Pass FAQ:</strong></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"><strong>Sign up:</strong></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"><strong>Commentators:</strong></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"><strong>Android users</strong></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>

MLS announced its plans for linear TV coverage, with FOX and Univision both featuring MLS sides throughout the season, but in varying ways.

MLS picks up linear TV deals with FOX and Univision


<p>FOX Sports have acquired MLS TV rights beginning with the 2023 season, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/12/maria-taylor-to-host-nbc-primetime-big-ten-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Post</a>.</p>



<p>Reporter Andrew Marchand says that <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/espn-unlikely-to-renew-mls-tv-deal-speculates-industry-analyst-20221207-WST-411622.html">ESPN will no longer broadcast MLS games</a>. Instead, FOX Sports have renewed its deal with Major League Soccer, and is set to broadcast a select number of games on television each year. Earlier this year, FOX Sports reportedly offered MLS <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jabariyoung/2022/07/21/as-tv-deals-expire-major-league-soccer-fields-smaller-offers-from-espn-fox-sports/?sh=6d957a127fb8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$7 million per season</a> for TV rights.</p>



<p>With every single MLS game streaming exclusively via Apple’s <a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4"" target="blank" rel="noopener">MLS Season Pass</a> from 2023 through 2032, FOX’s deal with MLS is an interesting one. Largely, it’ll help MLS continue to be showcased on television. </p>



<p>Despite the MLS-FOX deal, the domestic league will find itself with fewer games on television before since ESPN are out. Meanwhile, Spanish-language rights are up in the air with TelevisaUnivision not in any rush to sign a deal, if at all.</p>



<h2>MLS’ deal with Apple didn’t incentivize FOX or ESPN</h2>



<p>In June 2022, when <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/06/14/mls-signs-10-year-deal-with-apple-tv-in-global-deal/">Major League Soccer’s deal with Apple</a> was announced, it gave both ESPN and FOX Sports very little incentive to bid on MLS TV rights. After all, why broadcast non-exclusive MLS games on TV that indirectly help sell subscriptions to Apple’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/apple-mls-announce-season-pass-for-2023-season-20221116-WST-408593.html">MLS Season Pass</a>?</p>


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<td width="30%"><a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="blank" rel="noopener"><div><figure class="image"><img src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20221212_WST_412087_MLSSeasonPass.webp&amp;width=201&amp;height=101" width="201" height="101" alt="MLS Season Pass"></figure></div></a></td>
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<h5 style="color: white;">Includes every MLS match, MLS Cup, Leagues Cup, select MLS NEXT Pro games + exclusive content</h5>
</td>
<td><a class="button" href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: white;"><strong>Browse Offers</strong></span></a></td>
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</tbody>
</table>


<p><em>The New York Post</em> summed it up best:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“Sources said MLS had a standoff with FOX and ESPN. Both networks balked at paying much of anything for the games. In the original bidding, neither network was anywhere near the price compared to Apple’s guarantee of $250 million per season. ESPN finally walked away from negotiations, leaving FOX as the lone bidder and willing to take the programming.”</p></blockquote>



<p>Now with ESPN reportedly out and FOX in for MLS, there’s another issuing confronting Major League Soccer. That is, FOX Sports’ poor MLS TV viewing numbers. During 2022, MLS games across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes <a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2022/10/21/Media/MLS-Viewership.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">declined 6%</a> compared to the previous year. Viewership averaged 198,000 per game.</p>



<p>Given FOX’s underwhelming <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/foxs-world-cup-coverage-illustrates-how-not-to-televise-soccer-20221126-WST-409921.html">coverage of the 2022 World Cup</a>, both MLS and FOX have a lot of work ahead of the 2023 season.</p>



<p>However, it’s quite possible that FOX Sports may be an unintended benefactor of the new deal particularly if MLS signs someone <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/lionel-messi-set-to-join-inter-miami-next-season-20221127-WST-410235.html">such as Lionel Messi</a>. That one signing alone would result in a major TV ratings bonanza.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Big changes ahead for US Soccer and MLS" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxhD4gChgW0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>


<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/"><strong>TV Schedule:</strong></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/"><strong>Season Pass FAQ:</strong></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"><strong>Sign up:</strong></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"><strong>Commentators:</strong></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"><strong>Android users</strong></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>

FOX MLS TV rights are renewed for the 2023 season onwards, which will see Major League Soccer continue to be televised in the US.

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