United Soccer Leagues, Turner to stream matches

United Soccer Leagues (USL) and Turner Broadcasting announced a partnership to provide exclusive online video streaming of USL First Division matches featuring all 13 clubs beginning April 2007 through the 2009 season.

The matches, which cannot be found on traditional broadcast or cable television distribution, will be available on the new broadband channel USL Live at www.USLLive.com, launching early April 2007.

USL Live will utilize Turner’s expertise in operating and managing new media businesses for other sports properties including NASCAR.com, PGATour.com, PGA.com and ACCSelect.com. ACC Select, a broadband network that was launched in September of 2006 as a partnership among the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Raycom Sports, Lincoln Financial Sports and Turner, broadcasts more than 600 of the conference’s non-televised sports events each academic year.

“We are extremely excited to announce the launch of this initiative,” said USL executive vice president and chief operating officer Tim Holt.

“Our previous forays into online broadcasting showed great potential and we are confident that what Turner brings to this partnership will make USL Live a tremendous hit with our fans around the globe. This broadcast program will enable the most widespread exposure of USL soccer and, in particular, USL First Division soccer in the 20-year history of USL.”

“The launch of USL Live is an exciting endeavor as it will not only give die-hard soccer fans greater access to the sport they love, but it will also help to expose casual fans to the thrilling competitions of the one of the world’s most popular sports,” said Phil Sharpe, SVP/GM of Turner Sports’ Play ON! division. “We’re excited to work alongside the USL to bring their match-ups to fans around the country and extremely proud to continue to lead the charge in providing cutting-edge online sports coverage.”

USL Live is a new broadband experience that gives fans the best seat in the house for the sport they love, the soccer teams they care about and the games not available anywhere else. With full-screen video delivered right to the computer, USL Live provides front row access to USL events whenever fans want—live or on-demand replay. Consumers can watch USL First Division matches live or on-demand on a per-event basis or with a monthly all-event pass or season-long pass. Package pricing and the event schedule will be announced at a later date.

Password must contain the following:

A lowercase letter

A capital (uppercase) letter

A number

Minimum 8 characters

;
SVGLogoHR_NOTAG-200

The Latest in Sports Video Production & Technology
in Your Inbox for FREE

Daily Email Newsletters Monday - Friday