Major League Soccer and Univision Deportes announced on Friday a partnership with Facebook to broadcast 2017 regular season games in English on Facebook Live, starting with Atlanta United hosting the Chicago Fire on March 18.
A minimum of 22 live streamed matches — which will include Facebook-specific commentators and interactive features to engage with fans — will be available in English across the U.S. through the Univision Deportes Facebook page, according to the announcement.
“We are committed to serving our passionate fans,” Gary Stevenson, President and Managing Director of MLS Business Ventures said in a statement. “We are working with all of our partners on making sure our games, and additional content, get to our fans anytime, anywhere, and on any device.”
Added Juan Carlos Rodriguez, President of Univision Deportes in a statement: “As the undisputed home of soccer in the U.S., Univision Deportes, together with MLS and Facebook, is committed to growing the sport across platforms and regardless of language. Further engaging the more than 18 million English-language viewers that have watched soccer on Univision coupled with the continued success of our MLS broadcasts, including our record-setting season opener, is a natural path in this new era of content consumption.”
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The collaboration will also see MLS produce 40 exclusive “Matchday Live” shows dedicated for the league’s Facebook page to give fans a preview of upcoming matches. In 2016, unique MLS content on Facebook included MLS Commissioner Don Garber hosting a Q&A session after his State of the League address, activating around events like the MLS Cup and Decision Day and the MLS conducting a takeover of the Sports on Facebook page, which has over 15 million fans.
“Major League Soccer’s innovative approach to the fan experience has cultivated truly special in-stadium environments, where flag-waving and chant-singing fans come together to passionately support their clubs,” Dan Reed, Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships said in a statement. “We’re very excited for MLS and Univision Deportes to bring this same innovative, community-first spirit to the Facebook Live broadcasts of league matches this season. Their approach will provide fans with an entirely new way to experience a live soccer broadcast that is optimized for mobile screens and social viewing. So even if they’re not at the stadium, people can watch the game on Facebook with a great view of the action while interacting with a highly-engaged community of fans.”
Just last month, Univision and Facebook announced a similar partnership as they will live stream 46 Liga MX soccer matches in English throughout the 2017 season, including playoffs. Like the MLS collaboration, the streaming of Liga MX matches on Facebook Live will be available through the Univision Deportes Facebook page.
LaLiga and CONCACAF are among the soccer leagues that also stream matches on Facebook Live.