Major League Soccer (MLS) has partnered with football media company OneFootball to showcase the league to a wider international audience.
As part of the agreement, OneFootball has become an official content distribution partner for MLS. Through this role, the media company will gain access to the league’s highlights, covering hundreds of MLS matches, MLS NEXT Pro matches and MLS NEXT matches per season.
This content will be distributed via OneFootball’s app, website and connected TV platforms. The deal will also leverage the media outlet’s video player network, which includes the newly announced co-branded content hub with Yahoo! Sports.
Patrick Fischer, CEO of OneFootball, commented: “OneFootball’s mission is to deliver an unparalleled football content experience while empowering content owners to connect directly with their audiences. We are thrilled to welcome MLS to our Club Advisory Board and look forward to this partnership enhancing their coverage and supporting the growth of soccer in North America and beyond.”
As mentioned by Fischer, MLS has joined OneFootball’s Club Advisory Board. Other members of this board include Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, PSG, FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, among others.
Seth Bacon, MLS Executive VPice President of Media, remarked: “As MLS’ continues to grow its relevance on a global scale, we are excited to work with OneFootball to provide fans around the world access to the amazing action in MLS each week.
“This collaboration provides an excellent platform to help further showcase all the momentum behind MLS to a young, tech-savvy, global audience and to further our mission of elevating the profile of MLS, and we look forward to working together with OneFootball to deliver compelling and engaging content to fans worldwide.”
It is a pivotal time in US football history at the moment. European clubs are seeking to maximise the commercial potential of the country, whilst the US is attempting to build and grow its own project.
Additionally, the country is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025. These two competitions will ensure that international and club supporters’ eyes around the world will be on the country. Because of this, there is huge amounts of pressure on the US to put on a good show and then maintain this attention going forward.
On this topic, Insider Sport spoke with Andy Mitchell, CEO and Managing Director, at Lega Serie A USA. In the interview, Mitchell outlines the Italian league’s plans to take advantage of the US market, as well as what the US has to do to make the most of these upcoming tournaments.
