MLS and ESPN have agreed to a new television package that will include regular-season and playoff games on ABC, MLS Commissioner Doug Logan and ABC Sports President and ESPN President and CEO Steve Bornstein announced today. The multi-year agreement will begin in 1998 and includes a minimum of 12 games shown live on ABC, including the league’s opening game, the 1998 All-Star Game at Orlando’s Citrus Bowl and MLS Cup ’98. In addition, ESPN and ESPN2 will televise 35 games in 1998, as well as MLS All-Star week events from Disney World. It is the most comprehensive deal ever for a professional soccer league in the U.S. ABC (which will broadcast World Cup ’98 next summer) televised a national game of the week for the NASL in 1979 and 1980. “We have taken a huge step forward with our new television agreement with ESPN,” said Logan. “During our first two seasons, television played a key role in generating exposure for the league. With our new partnership, we will continue to provide fans with the opportunity to view even more games on national network television. Additionally, television is now a revenue generator for the league.” “We’re delighted to build upon our relationship with Major League Soccer,” said Bornstein. “ESPN is the worldwide leader in sports, and soccer is the most popular sport in the world, so it’s a natural fit. And our expanded coverage on ABC can only better serve MLS fans.” The partnership between MLS and ESPN is unique because of the cooperative effort between both entities’ sales forces and production groups, and ESPN’s ability to place games on ABC. The new agreement is structured to net MLS a minimum of $5 million during the first year, with significant increases thereafter. In addition, MLS will also own for the first time the terrestrial (over-the-air) rights to all of the league’s games worldwide. MLS executives have held recent discussions with several international parties regarding broadcasting games outside of the U.S. “If you had said in 1995 that this league would have national network television exposure in our third year, I would have said you were hopelessly optimistic,” Logan said. “This new contract…will broaden our audience to 100 million households. That is an unparalleled accomplishment for a league such as ours at this stage in its development.” The 1998 MLS television schedule on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will be announced in the near future.