By RYAN TOLMICH
First was a broadcast agreement with ESPN3 in the spring.  Now, the NASL has found a national television partner.
The NASL announced Monday that the league has entered a multiyear partnership with ONE World Sports. The deal makes the league available on national television for the first time, while the league’s current online streaming partnership with ESPN will continue.
ONE World Sports is estimated to be available in 30 million homes in the U.S., and will air one game per week live every Wednesday. In addition, the network will feature NASL This Week, a comprehensive highlight show, on Tuesday nights.
“Our new partnership with ONE World Sports is another significant step in our development as a top-tier sports enterprise,” said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. “ONE World Sports’ incredible production quality and growing viewership footprint make it an ideal network for our new ‘Game of the Week’ concept and weekly highlight show.
“Broadcasting is always evolving – perhaps never as quickly as the present,” Peterson added. “We have created a very competitive structure, and we’re taking a nimble approach to delivering broadcasts to our growing fan base in North America and around the globe.”
ONE World Sports, who has been a partner of the New York Cosmos, will first air the July 8 clash between the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Carolina RailHawks as well as 13 further Fall Season games. Each team will feature at least once on the network.
Take a look at the full broadcast schedule for the NASL’s deal with ONE World Sports below:
July 8Â – Carolina RailHawks vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers
July 15Â – Minnesota United FC vs. Jacksonville Armada FC
July 22Â – Ottawa Fury FC vs. Atlanta Silverbacks
August 5Â – New York Cosmos vs. Minnesota United FC
August 12Â – Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Carolina RailHawks
August 19Â – Indy Eleven vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
August 26Â – Ottawa Fury FC vs. New York Cosmos
September 2Â – Minnesota United FC vs. Indy Eleven
September 9Â – San Antonio Scorpions vs. Carolina RailHawks
September 16Â – Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Jacksonville Armada FC
September 30Â – Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Indy Eleven
October 7Â – Atlanta Silverbacks vs. New York Cosmos
October 14Â – Carolina RailHawks vs. FC Edmonton
October 21Â – Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Ottawa Fury FC
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What do you think of the NASL’s new TV deal? Impressed? How do you see this impacting the league?
Share your thoughts below.
Oh man… I think they forgot about me too Miguel… Haji Wright here just checking in to remind you that I am a star on the USYNT u-17 squad and playing for the Cosmos undefeated reserve squad in NPSL…
You guys forgot about me already? Miguel Ibarra… former Minnesota United player… USMNT player?
pretty much all national team contributors have come through MLS, minus Klinsmans germans and maybe 1 or 2 others, MLS is the most important cog in the US Soccer machine and into the future. Look at the gold cup game last night – Zardes, Guzan, Dempsey, Beckerman, Altidore, Bradley, etc…
Any spend much time in the nasl or with the cosmos? – didn’t think so.
Same is true for US u-20s roster full of many MLS or MLS academy guys, again did not see any from nasl.
“#greentideworldwide” – are you talking about the green lacrosse turf the cosmos play on in long island and their “worldwide” following of 3K fans?
they’re not independent either, also owned by middle east petro dollars, they are a B team joke.
Agree that any good future US players will be developed in MLS – everyone should support them.
mls hasn’t developed players in 20 years, but keep going on with your eyes closed.
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Again, why is mls stealing lunch from little kid academies?
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Cosmos 2.0 have nationwide TV deal in year 1 – how many mls McWendys can say that? (Maybe you should look up what independent means). Hey, if you like McDonalds over a legitimate hamburger joint, that’s cool, but don’t look down on others that actually have taste.
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mls can’t survive without USSF protection, Cosmos are growing without any help.
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#greentideworldwide – Support your local independent soccer clubs
The part you’re missing here is that this signals an increase in interest in NASL – more money for the league. Also, check the stats on attendance, those are up across the board and thus also show an increase in interest. Not sure why this is bad.
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For background, OWS started by only broadcasting Cosmos home games. That must have went well because the next step was to contract with the Cosmos for both home and away games. Obviously I don’t know the numbers, but it seems logical that OWS felt it was worthwhile to incur the additional expense of filming road games.
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Point being, there is nothing wrong with increased interest in the league and increased exposure – also, the ESPN3 games are still there. This isn’t a situation where one venue is being replaced, this is a situation where another venue is being added.
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#greentideworldwide – and don’t forget to support your local independent soccer clubs!
NASL is so incomplete. No West division. I’ll stick with MLS and USL.
Stick with your minor leagues, it’s cool.
Forgot the nasl if you have an MLS team in your market, that is the true future of the sport in the country, all the future top US players will be developed in MLS, the star power of new signings and new sponsors will only increase this possibility. Don’t agree that more soccer on tv the better, most already watch loads of internationals, premier league and maybe some MLS – we need the most support for MLS as possible to move soccer in the US forward!
Why are mls teams stealing money from small kids soccer academies?
Honestly, if this is why they had a Wednesday night game every week i think its a bad idea. Why force teams already struggling at the gate to play an unfavorable midweek game. Also, 30 million homes (if you buy that #) is only like 10% at bets of the population.
I also am suspect of the Cosmos’s owner’s true intentions here, is it the Cosmos or is it simply about expanding OWS footprint?
I believe Cosmos owner also owns OWS.
Great news for NASL, its fans, and soccer fans in general. The more soccer, the better.
Now, does anyone actually have One World Sports?
No.
Good for the NASL. The more American Soccer on TV the better. I’ll have to see if its still available on my FiOS package.
Agreed. Exciting!
Taking games off ESPN3 and putting them on a channel nobody gets is not an improvement.
You need to read ALLLLL the way to the third sentence in the article:
” the league’s current online streaming partnership with ESPN will continue.”
Nope. Cosmos matches already on OWS are not on ESPN3. I assume this Wednesday game on OWS will be similar situation. If that’s the case then this is definitely less coverage not more for more viewers because ESPN3 > OWS.
I disagree. It’s better than what they have right now. That makes it an improvement.
30 million households have access to it. Especially if the NASL isn’t buying the time. There are a lot of people who still prefer to watch a game on tv as opposed to online (of course those numbers are changing).
This is a step in the right direction. A more significant step if they are actually going to break even on the deal. If they make a little bit of coin then I’ll give them even more props.
Step by step…
ESPN3 is viewable on TV via Roku, XBOX, etc. I’ve been watching NASL on ESPN3 on my 60 inch HDTV. Looks great. OWS is a step down, sorry.
Any idea of they are working on a deal with DirecTV?
I really would like to watch these game as well as all the Asian World Cup Qualifiers.
Awesome.