Bleacher Report to Feature Premium Soccer Content, Highlights and More
NEW YORK, N.Y. (August 17, 2020) – Major League Soccer (MLS), U.S. Soccer and Bleacher Report, today announced a multi-year agreement running through 2022. The deal, facilitated by Soccer United Marketing (SUM), unites Bleacher Report, a leading destination for young sports fans, with MLS and U.S. Soccer – two properties with the youngest fan bases in North America.
As part of the agreement, Bleacher Report – through its popular soccer-focused content vertical B/R Football – will develop premium soccer content and highlights, distributed directly to fans via its B/R app and industry-leading social channels. Content features will include top plays from MLS, U.S. Men’s National Team and U.S. Women’s National Team matches.
“As we build on the momentum of the MLS is Back Tournament and continue our 25th season with matches in home markets, we are excited to provide our fans with more cutting-edge MLS content across B/R platforms,” said Seth Bacon, MLS SVP of Media.
New content began rolling out earlier this summer across B/R platforms and will increase in frequency as the MLS Regular season reaches its climax this fall with matches in home markets. Bleacher Report will also partner with MLS and U.S. Soccer on custom content initiatives, including specialty programming and access to an extensive MLS and U.S Soccer highlights library.
“B/R Football is the No. 1 digital media destination for young soccer fans and this new partnership provides a deeper library of soccer content that our fans crave,” said Raphael Poplock, SVP of New Business Development, Bleacher Report. “It will also offer an increased presence for top MLS and U.S. Soccer content with one of the most engaged audiences in the sport, while leveraging our innovative sales solutions to most effectively connect with them.”
Leveraging specialty programming and an extensive highlights library, Bleacher Report will provide the soccer community with a new daily destination for best in class coverage of MLS and U.S. Soccer.
“We are looking forward to working with B/R Football to help us share U.S. Soccer’s content and reach even more soccer fans across the world,” said U.S. Soccer Chief Communications Officer Neil Buethe. “With our No. 1 ranked Women’s National Team preparing for the Olympics and our Men’s National Team gearing up for the start of the Final Round of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, the coming year will be incredibly exciting and partnering with Bleacher Report will allow us to connect and engage with soccer fans in even more creative ways.”
The deal will provide more opportunities to celebrate soccer culture and authentically engage with current fans, in addition to reaching new ones. For more information, visit MLSsoccer.com, bleacherreport.com and ussoccer.com.
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About Bleacher Report:
Bleacher Report is a leading sports media brand reaching more than 200 million hyper-connected millennial and Gen Z sports fans each month through distribution of premium content. It is the #1 sports brand driving engagement and video views across all social platforms and the Bleacher Report app, while fueling offline engagement through unparalleled experiences that blend sports with culture. Bleacher Report has a portfolio of brands that includes House of Highlights, B/R Football, B/R Kicks, B/R Gridiron and B/R Betting, delivering customized content that caters to the unique passions of its fans across its owned and operated channels and world-leading social platforms. Bleacher Report is a division of Turner Sports, which provides it access to premium live content from the NBA, Major League Baseball, and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Find Bleacher Report on the industry-leading Bleacher Report app, www.bleacherreport.com and on Instagram @BleacherReport.
About Major League Soccer:
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer – celebrating its 25th Season in 2020 – features 26 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, in addition to future expansion teams in Austin, St. Louis, Sacramento, and Charlotte. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.
About U.S. Soccer:
Founded in 1913, the U.S. Soccer Federation has been the official governing body of the sport in the United States for more than 100 years. During that time, the growth of the sport has grown tremendously at all levels. As U.S. Soccer looks towards the future, its mission is to make soccer the preeminent sport in the United States. With a long-term and strategic approach, U.S. Soccer aims to accomplish its mission by supporting its members to increase participation at the youth and adult levels, develop world class players, coaches and referees to consistently win at the highest levels on the international stage and serve the fans by engaging with them in deeper and more meaningful ways. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.
About Soccer United Marketing:
Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, has become the preeminent commercial soccer enterprise in North America, overseeing the commercialization, marketing, promotion and operational execution of the region’s most successful soccer entities. SUM holds the exclusive rights to Major League Soccer, the United States Soccer Federation, the Mexican National Team (for the U.S. market), Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup and Concacaf Properties (Gold Cup™ and Concacaf Champions League). In addition, SUM held the promotional and commercial rights to the highly successful 2016 Copa America Centenario.
Media Contacts:
Bleacher Report
Brian Reinert
brian.reinert@bleacherreport.com
Major League Soccer / SUM
Angela Alfano
Angela.Alfano@MLSsoccer.com
U.S. Soccer
Neil Buethe
NBuethe@ussoccer.org
