| MLS on TSN | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports |
| Created by | (Unknown) |
| Starring | See list of commentators section |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production locations | 9 Channel Nine Court (Toronto, Ontario) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 180 minutes |
| Production company | Bell Media |
| Original release | |
| Network | TSN |
| Release | February 11, 2011 – present |
MLS on TSN is the branding used for TSN's telecasts of Major League Soccer matches. TSN first acquired rights to MLS in 2011.
In February 2011, CTVglobemedia announced a six-year deal for national MLS broadcast rights in Canada. TSN and TSN2 would broadcast 24 matches during the 2011 season and air a minimum of 30 matches per season during the subsequent five seasons, all featuring at least one Canadian team. French-language sister networks RDS and RDS2 had similar broadcast rights. The networks also carried the MLS Cup and select playoff matches, the MLS All-Star Game, and additional matches not involving Canadian teams. [1] GolTV continued to carry selected all-U.S. MLS matches. [2]
Toronto FC regional matches were split between TSN and the Sportsnet networks (their parent companies, Rogers Communications and Bell Canada, jointly own a stake in TFC's parent company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment). In 2014, TSN acquired rights to Vancouver Whitecaps FC regional matches. [3] [4]
In 2017, Bell Media reached a five-year extension to its English-language rights to Major League Soccer, with coverage remaining similar to previous seasons (though with French-language rights moving to rival network TVA Sports, and the option for matches to be simulcast on broadcast network CTV). TSN also assumed exclusive rights to Toronto FC. [5]
On December 15, 2021, MLS announced that it would be continuing with the same Canadian broadcasters for 2022. TSN will broadcast all Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps games while TVA Sports will cover CF Montréal in French. TSN will also broadcast select additional matches, and CTV will show eight MLS games. [6]
TSN acquired national rights to select MLS games for the 2023–2026 seasons. TSN will broadcast at least one match per week featuring a Canadian team, eight playoff matches, and the MLS Cup Final. [7] Matches aired on TSN are non-exclusive and will also be available in Canada on MLS Season Pass.
| Network | Contract | Annual rights fee | Regular-season games | Playoff games | Language | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSN | 2023–2026 | TBA | ~68 | 8 | English | [8] |
| RDS | ~68 | 8 | French | |||
| TSN / TSN2 | 2022 | 60+ | English | [6] | ||
| TVA Sports | 30+ | French | ||||
| TSN / TSN2 | 2017–2021 | TBD | English | [9] | ||
| TVA Sports | 50+ | French | ||||
| TSN / TSN2 | 2011–2016 | 30 | English | [10] | ||
| RDS | 2012–2016 | French |
 | This section needs to be updated.(February 2024) |
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the United States and 3 in Canada—since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language discretionary sports specialty channel owned by CTV Specialty Television, owned jointly by Bell Media (70%) and ESPN Inc. (30%), itself a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. TSN was established by the Labatt Brewing Company in 1984 as part of the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels. In 2013, TSN was the largest specialty channel in Canada in terms of gross revenue, with a total of CA$400.4 million in revenue.
Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language discretionary sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then was required to divest its stake in the network following its 2001 acquisition of competing network TSN. Rogers then became the sole owner of Sportsnet in 2004 after it bought the remaining minority stake that was held by Fox.
Réseau des sports (RDS) is a Canadian French language discretionary specialty channel oriented towards sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc.. Its full name translates as "The Sports Network", the name of its Anglophone counterpart, TSN.
The Cascadia Cup is the name of the trophy created in 2004 by supporters of the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps, which is awarded each season to the best soccer team in the Pacific Northwest. The cup is named for the Cascadia region. The Timbers, Sounders, and Whitecaps have roots dating to the days of the original North American Soccer League. It was first contested in 2004, and was claimed by the Whitecaps. In 2011 the competition continued with the now Major League Soccer (MLS) sides Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
CTV Sports was the division of the CTV Television Network responsible for sports broadcasting. The division existed in its own right from 1961 to 2001; between 1998 and 2001, CTV Sports also operated a cable sports network, CTV Sportsnet, now owned by Rogers Media and known simply as Sportsnet.
Sports broadcasting contracts in Canada include:
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, 2009, and began play in 2011 as the 17th team to enter Major League Soccer while replacing the USSF Division 2 team of the same name in the city, making them a phoenix club and the third to carry the Whitecaps name. The club has been owned and managed by the same group since their USSF days.
Réseau des sports (RDS) is a French Canadian cable specialty channel that broadcasts National Hockey League games.
Club de Foot Montréal, better known as CF Montreal or simply Montreal, is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montréal. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1993 as the Montreal Impact, they began playing in the MLS in 2012 as the league's nineteenth franchise and third Canadian club.
TVA Sports is a Canadian French-language sports specialty channel owned by the Groupe TVA, a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media. The channel is a general-interest sports network, and the first major competitor to RDS, the only other French-language sports channel in the country.
The 2012 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season was the Whitecaps' second season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of soccer in the United States and Canada. In 2011, the expansion Whitecaps FC struggled to find the results and finished at the bottom of the league table winning just six matches with none on the road. By finishing last overall in the regular season the Whitecaps FC received the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft and 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft that were held in January 2012.
Major League Soccer has been broadcast live in the United States nationally since the league's inception in 1996 and in Canada since 2007. As of the 2023 season, Apple Inc. is the primary global rights holder and streams every regular season and playoff match on MLS Season Pass – a service in the Apple TV app. Some matches are also broadcast on television via Fox Sports in the United States, and Bell Media in Canada.
Major League Soccer has been broadcast live in the U.S. nationally since the league's inception in 1996 and in Canada since 2007. In the United States the game is broadcast in English on Fox Sports 1 and Fox, in Spanish on Fox Deportes. In Canada, MLS is broadcast on TSN in English and RDS in French.
MLS on Fox is the branding used for broadcasts of Major League Soccer on FS1 and Fox. Fox Sports first aired MLS games from 2003–2011 on the now defunct Fox Soccer Channel. Fox then won the rights from NBC Sports to air games on the new Fox Sports 1 and the MLS Cup on Fox in even numbered years from 2015 until 2022. Since 2023, Fox is the only broadcaster simulcasting MLS from MLS Season Pass after ESPN and Univision rejected to simulcast, and will be the exclusive linear home of MLS Cup.
MLS Season Pass is a soccer streaming service operated by Apple Inc. which includes live matches from Major League Soccer. The package was launched in the 2023 Major League Soccer season as part of a new 10-year media rights agreement between MLS and Apple, under which it holds the global over-the-top streaming rights to the league.