If the weekly ESPN broadcast of MLS Primetime Thursday was a regular part of your viewing schedule two things are clear. You are in a very small minority, and you will need to find something else to watch on Thursday nights (at least on some occasions).
The Sports Business Journal reported today that ESPN has scrapped MLS Primetime Thursday, opting instead to continue a weekly airing of MLS matches on a variety of days ranging from Wednesday to Saturday.
ESPN will still air MLS matches every week, but now only 10 out of 27 weeks will feature Thursday night matches, with matches now being shown on Saturday (eight matches), Wednesday (six matches) and Friday (three matches).
What's my take? As disappointing as it is to hear that numbers weren't great for the Primetime Thursday series, should we really be surprised? Thursday night is the toughest night on television, with several of TVs heavy hitters airing on network television. Having matches on different nights should allow us to get a better sense of what kind of audience is actually out there for MLS, and which night might wind up working better.
What do you think of this development? Glad to see Primetime MLS moving around or did you prefer the Thursday slot every week?
Share your thoughts below.