It's No Wonder ESPN's MLS TV Viewership Has Declined 12%
Watching the MLS Western Conference Final on ESPN2 Sunday night, I couldn’t believe how poor the TV production was. When the ball was on the far side of the field from the camera, it felt like I was watching a game from the nosebleed section of Home Depot Center. When the ball was near the corner flag, I couldn’t see what was happening. It’s hard to believe that this is the same network that carries the English Premier League on Saturday mornings. The difference is night and day.
The production quality of the game was exceedingly poor. Replays of key goal incidents took too long to be shown. There was very little fluidity to how the pictures were shown. It seemed, at times, that pictures were haphazardly thrown together and lacked the polish of a world-class soccer production.
The number of TV cameras used was pitiful when compared to other leagues from the world. The main camera was used more extensively than I would have liked as it panned slowly across the pitch, sometimes losing the ball which was out of camera view. But my biggest complaint about the whole TV production was that the crew showed far too few close-ups. The beauty of soccer is seeing the action close-up. Seeing the incredible skill. Feeling as if you’re part of the action. Not watching a soccer game with the camera zoomed out where you feel disconnected with the game.
Based on this production, it’s no wonder that TV viewership for Major League Soccer has dropped 12% for this regular season compared to 2009. It’s not the quality of soccer on the pitch. Part of the reason is that ESPN is not bringing it’a A game to this league.
While ESPN’s production quality for this particular Major League Soccer game was well below average, I thought JP Dellacamera and John Harkes did a decent job, but the overall production value by the rest of the behind-the-scenes crew was incredibly disappointing especially when we know they’re capable of bringing us a better produced game.
18 Responses to It's No Wonder ESPN's MLS TV Viewership Has Declined 12%
If all of ESPN’s work was poor, OK. But when beach volleyball gets better production effort, that isn’t right.
Not to defend espn in any way, because the prouction was clearly poor, but did you happen to catch the AC/Inter game on FSC? It was much worse and for a much more important game to a number of soccer fans.
Just a terrible weekend all around for the viewing public.
I did see that game Ryan, and remember a number of times when the camera was in a position where you couldn’t even see the player with the ball. That’s just camera man stupidity, plain and simple.
Are we confusing cause and effect here?
I agree Sam. I think the most likely scenario here is that ESPN looked at their weekend slate (EPL, college football, NASCAR) and decided (correctly) that MLS had the smallest audience so was the smallest priority, and assigned their production crews accordingly. It’s not like they actively tried to do a bad job on the MLS production, they just put their top producers elsewhere.
Go to their website, watch ESPN2 and see the other leagues soccer scores scroll by on the VERY annoying bottom line, then draw your own conclusions of where MLS ranks.
ESPN are being idiots about this. They should lock in long term with MLS and get in cheap. Maybe MLS won’t let them ?
There are so few people that care about either European soccer or US Soccer, I don’t understand MLS trying to promote Europe over US. Are they really that stupid to think Europe viewership in the US is going to grow ?
MY guess is they assigned some Euridiot to rn the soccer over there.
I agree horrible quality. ESPN needs to get their shit in order because no one can deny MLS is probably the fastest growing league in the world
I have a suggested move the MLS to Versus channel! PLEASE!!!!
Hear! Hear! ESPN has horrible production. They need to step it up.
I hear Versus is in the running to pick up MLS. It did a great job with the NHL, and having an exclusive with MLS would mean they would deovte some effort to promoting the league.
If the MLS goes to Versus I hope the station picks up the Scottish Premier League, the Mexican Premier, La Liga and Bundesliga.
Ian Darke is doing tomorrow’s game against South Africa and the MLS Cup Final.
I now have incentive to watch the Cup Final with the mute button not at the ready.
Oh, and if MLS doesn’t want ratings to stink they should not just willingly schedule playoff matches in the middle of prime time football. That is suicidal.
I’d rather listen to Spanish commentary then English commentary on all MLS games. There’s no way you could tell that a goal has been scored from the English speaking commentators their reaction to a goal is usually a slight pause like they’ve being interrupted by someone mid conversion. No passion, no conviction, no true knowledge of the game, most sound p*ssd off like they’ve been forced to commentate. Example of this would be Buddles amazing goal v Seattle. The English speaking commentator reacted like it was Gary Anderson kicking an extra point.
Also most stadiums look half empty, the league should pack people together in the stands opposite the TV cams, at least give the impression the stadiums full.
Compare a EPL game with a loud passionate fan base and commentators that actually shout a little when an amazing goal is scored to most MLS game’s with half empty seating, and commentators with no passion, its little wonder people switch over
The EPL with a loud passionate fan base…you must be watching a different game than me ?
The one’s I see are a bunch of suits sitting on their hands.
Watch the Sounder’s games please !
“It’s hard to believe that this is the same network that carries the English Premier League on Saturday mornings. The difference is night and day.”
I thought Sky Sports does all the broadcasting work in England. Doesn’t ESPN just buy the rights to broadcast the games in America?
Not anymore. ESPN has its own crew at their Saturday morning games, so the pre-show, half-time and post-match are all created from England for the US audience. The only thing that is created by TWI are the images from the game. Even the commentary during the game is done exclusively for the US audience with Ian Darke and a co-commentator (usually Stewart Robson or Efan Ekoku).
Cheers,
The Gaffer
I agree with the Gaffer regarding the poor broadcast, but not “John Harkes did a decent job.”
John Harkes is absolutely lifeless and horrible when it comes to broadcasting. He’s also very negative. I just watched the MLS Final, which was probably more like an NFL game than a soccer match, but nearly every comment of Harkes’ began with “What he should have done…..”, “That was a poor….”, “They really need to……”. Please let’s have someone who gives the game some life. They don’t even have to be passionate about the particular sport, but they better have some passion about broadcasting! Ray Hudson provides both, but works for GolTV.
I honestly think this has a lot to do with interest in watching a sport on television. It’s not like being at the game, so you need someone to portray that excitement and enthusiam through the television and that is where the announcer comes in. Howard Cosell and/or John Madden, if we must stick with an American, would have made watching paint dry the most interesting broadcast on TV. John Harkes would make the most exciting event ever feel like watching paint dry, and probably be as knowledgeable about that as he seems about soccer. I realize he played on the US National Team, but that in no way qualifies him to be a television announcer, just as it doesn’t qualify him to manage/coach. Not all players can see the game from a “wider view” like a coach or broadcaster sees the field.
OK. Enough about how horrible John Harkes is.
Gotta agree with Sam & Joe on “MLS had the smallest audience so was the smallest priority, and assigned their production crews accordingly”. That’s obviously a cycle where until the sport gets viewers it doesn’t get priority and until the broadcasts are better, people will not watch.
I disagree with Charles when he says “There are so few people that care about either European soccer or US Soccer, I don’t understand MLS trying to promote Europe over US. Are they really that stupid to think Europe viewership in the US is going to grow ?” I want to see the MLS grow so that eventually I’ll watch more, but for now, the best players and the best football/soccer is played in Europe. I’ll watch La Liga (the Spanish First League), EPL, and Serie A (the Italian First League) before I’ll watch the MLS. I am thankful for a DVR, because I usually watch the MLS games eventually, but my priority to watch follows the list above; in that order.
Also agree with SSReporters; “if MLS doesn’t want ratings to stink they should not just willingly schedule playoff matches in the middle of prime time football”. We all know that only people in the US are going to watch the MLS, so perhaps try to not to schedule matches in opposition to more American sports.
US Mark, I thought John Harkes did a decent job in the LA game mentioned above, but he was back to his usual annoying self for the MLS Cup. He’s a pundit but he doesn’t act like a pundit. He’s too wishy-washy. When there were instances in the game where we needed someone to step in and tell us why or why not it should have been a penalty (such as the Benitez/Casey incident), he said something along the lines of “that quite possibly could have been a penalty.” The list goes on and on about Harkes. A fantastic footballer but a co-commentator who just doesn’t seem to have the cajones to call it like it is. He’s too nice.
Cheers,
The Gaffer