When USL kicks off on Saturday, more games than ever will be on television - not just national packages but on local television as well.
A lot has been made of the success USL has had in securing landmark national TV deals with CBS and ESPN. These are fantastic additions to the ever-growing landscape of soccer on national television.
What has been discussed less, however, is the massive success USL has had in getting many of its clubs on local television. As we have talked about repeatedly, the road to relevance for domestic clubs is through making a dent in local areas, creating meaningful connections with a community that builds and sustains fandom.
In some cases, the league office has helped facilitate the local deals while in other cases the clubs themselves have taken the initiative creating meaningful linkages with local TV and media.
USL clubs have secured local TV deals on over-the-air TV in markets as large as Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Tampa/St Pete, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Detroit and Phoenix. In addition, clubs like San Antonio FC have strong deals and ties to local Regional Sports Networks that no longer broadcast MLS matches.
At a time when MLS has abandoned local TV completely in favor of a worldwide streaming deal with Apple TV, USL clubs have filled a void for both local soccer and local sports programming. Tampa/St Pete, Phoenix and Detroit are the largest US Metropolitan areas without MLS teams, giving each of those three USL clubs an increased visibility and local relevance.
“We’re giving so much access (via local TV) and driving that connection locally. We’re excited about CBS and ESPN but a lot of people are excited about being on local TV, their home. It brings it in and that’s what USL is about, their communities.” USL Championship President Jeremy Alumbaugh said during a USL Season Kickoff Press Conference on Tuesday.
“We want to be the most widely available league for our sport in the country,” Alumbaugh said as well.
Meanwhile several League One clubs have similarly secured local TV deals. These clubs are in smaller markets where programming voids on local TV give professional soccer clubs a unique opportunity to gain exposure and connect with their local communities.
“ A big focus for us in the League One office. A large percentage of our teams have secured deals for the 24 season. It’s something we’ll continue to work on with clubs that aren’t on locally.” said USL League One President Lee O'Neill
“Making our games open and accessible for all. Working with the properties so that everyone can watch our games. It’s good for the supporters and the teams,” O’Neill continued.
While oftentimes soccer fans who live in a hyper-online world see what national or even international fans are talking about and project that onto a local audience, bit-by-bit USL clubs are making efforts to cement themselves in the local places they play. This effort is reaping dividends and should help sustain the league’s growth not only in 2024 but beyond.
Hopefully these local TV deals also allows online content or streaming or social media publicity efforts. Linear, over-the-air broadcasts is less consumed by the younger crowd (Millennials, etc.), but the online streaming and content could draw that highly coveted --highly spending-- audience!
Why hadn’t NISA done this? They have some great local stories that deserve more coverage.