Following a successful run with the CONCACAF Gold Cup, FOX Sports now turns its attention to the 2017 MLS All-Star Game with hopes to continue the uptick trend as the MLS All-Stars square off against Real Madrid. The Gold Cup Final saw the US Men’s National Team reel in 1,772,000 viewers to FS1 for its win over Jamaica. That marks a rise of 117% over the previous 2015 championship match while digital auds saw an average minute audience of 71,742 tuning in on FOX Sports GO. Meanwhile, the MLS All-Star Game takes place on Aug. 2 at 8:30p on FS1 and Univision.
Cynopsis Sports spoke with Jonty Whitehead, Executive Producer of Soccer for FOX Sports, about the role of soccer at the company, differentiating soccer brands and the recent reports about MLS being offered a deal to stat relegation.
Whitehead on soccer at FOX Sports: We’ve taken a stance, we truly believe in it and – as you’ve seen from the results from the Gold Cup final – we are definitely having success in that way. Finding a voice for each brand is all about fine-tuning. When we do a Champions League show, we keep that American presence but mix it with a voice from Europe. When we include people like Brad Friedel, who will be calling MLS All-Star Game, he is a record-holder for Premier League consecutive appearances and has a terrific understanding of European football and translating it to an American audience. Those type of personalities showcase the importance of taking experience and present it to American viewers so they can relate to it.
On the MLS All-Star Game: We view the game as a celebration of all that’s good in this great league. We are obviously long-term partners with the MLS and we work really well with them. The MLS will bend over backwards to help you and I appreciate everything we are able to do with those guys. Major league Soccer is very American and different from the European leagues, and there is nothing wrong in that. It is important to celebrate those differences. There is a tendency out there to tailor a show into a European-style program to pander to a European audience, when we should look further up-field than that.
On recent headlines about MLS declining relegation: I don’t agree that they should go to promotion/relegation. I think that the MLS is different and that is a good thing. The MLs already has its own red line, if you will, and if you finish above it, you get to go to the playoffs. That is a unique element that makes it so unique. They don’t need to look to Europe for solutions and I’m glad they turned down that offer.
On the epiphany moment for soccer and US audiences: For me, it would be the Women’s World Cup in Vancouver where we absolutely realized that we were on a rocket ship. The way the viewing figures grew throughout that tournament to produce the highest-ever soccer audience for men or women by the final just showed that we were getting things right. We now know that those sports fans are out there and they will turn to soccer when everything resonates.
