The USL Super League’s New TV Deal
In a week when the Tampa Bay Sun announced their first jersey sponsors and began taking orders from fans for those kits, few bits of news could possibly overshadow that. They have announced another signing, bringing the total roster size to 14. But, what might be even more important is the achievement of a broadcast partnership. In any league’s first year, this would be a momentous occasion. The fact that the USL’s partner for the Super League is NBC’s Peacock makes this truly huge in scale.
Together, Peacock and the USL put out a statement saying they would be the “Official Home of the USL Super League.” From the press release, “Starting with the USL Super League’s weekend August 17-18, every regular season and playoff match – 115 matches, combined – will be available to stream on Peacock for fans in the United States.” It was also stated that this agreement is “multi-year” and that it will, “see additional USL leagues and properties leverage NBC Sports Next’s SportsEngine Play streaming service and innovative digital products.”
Without re-writing the entire article it came from, this news is huge for soccer fans in America well beyond the boundaries of the Tampa Bay Sun supporter base. NBC’s coverage of the English Premier League is renowned and much has been written about it. The company bought the rights to the EPL starting in the 2013-14 season. Average viewership has just this past season hit new records. That is not a coincidence of timing with the growth of the sport in this country.
In fact, it could be argued that NBC’s coverage of the Prem has been one of the sustained reasons for the growth of soccer in America. From the beginning, they have had strong commentary on the league and in games, hiring several commentators who had previously served the native audience of the league in England. While an American audience will naturally associate this sport with a British accent, there are other reasons this has worked out in the long term.
For starters, these commentators – Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, Efan Ekoku, etc. – are former players with experience in commentary. They will explain what is happening on the field from their perspective. Put more clearly, they explain even what complex actions happen on a soccer field in plain and simple terms. There is no unnecessary fluff. They don’t reference other sports to help make their point. They don’t add hot takes for the sake of it; creating content to bate hate-clicks online.
NBC has approached coverage in a way that respects fans and viewers. They treat the game seriously and talk to those who tune in like they’re informed – in sharp contrast to what fans might be getting right now watching the UEFA Euro or Copa America this summer. Even if you’re new to the game, you will be able to follow along, while those who aren’t won’t feel like they’re being spoon-fed the pundits’ equivalent of baby-speak. Soccer can be difficult to understand in certain ways. Players need to manipulate space. Measurements and statistics have entered the game in a major way over the last 15 years. But, it’s never so complex as to be out of reach for the masses. It is the world’s sport after all.
Avoiding outrageous and inflammatory commentary, doing a proper tactical analysis in simple ways, and giving every game and subplot the amount of time it deserves is how a broadcaster succeeds. NBC has shown the way to do this, and it has been excellent for a sport at this stage in its growth in the US. It’s a crowded market after all. There will be people out there who are new to watching. Even they can tell the difference in coverage – and nobody wants to be talked down to.
If NBC approaches the USL Super League (as well as other USL properties it will now have access to share via its different platforms) the same way it has approached the other soccer properties it broadcasts, fans should expect the same passion and intelligence in the commentary when they watch the Sun or the Trinity, Ascent, or Zephyr. If the Premier League Fan Fests also expand, fans should expect further engagement which would drive further growth in viewership and support. There is a true roadmap to success with Peacock.
Everything in the USL Super League is in the future. There is no history without a game having been played or a ball having been kicked. But, right now, the United Soccer League as an organization is doing everything behind the scenes to make sure that the story we will tell about this new women’s competition will be positive. If we can look back, ten years from now, and see that the USL with NBC grew the women’s game the way they grew the men’s, the Sun will probably be looking for a new stadium with a higher seating capacity.
