MLS Major League Soccer

MLS Digital Unveils World Cup-Focused Initiatives

Published on May 7, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK (May 7, 2014) - Major League Soccer announced today that MLS Digital - with properties including MLSsoccer.com, KICKTV and the MLS MatchDay App - is unveiling comprehensive World Cup coverage across its many platforms. MLS Digital, which has seen significant growth in audience, mobile traffic and YouTube subscribers, is planning extensive coverage from studios in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and New York City.

World Cup initiatives include:

Brazil Bound Presented by Castrol GTX High Mileage - Follow the U.S. team as they prepare for and travel to Brazil. The series, featuring former MLS midfielder & USMNT assistant coach Jesse Marsch and MLSsoccer's expert analysts, is a fun, informative take on the tournament, with daily reports from Brazil, in-depth analysis, cultural features and exclusive interviews with players, coaches, and soccer personalities. Starting in May and running through the World Cup final, Brazil Bound gives the North American soccer fan everything he or she needs to follow the world's greatest sporting event. The debut episode went live today.

Castrol is the presenting sponsor of Brazil Bound and will integrate their brand directly into the show, driving awareness for Castrol's World Cup activation. The integration will be augmented with customized media running across the MLS Digital Properties network, including placements on Goal.com and USSoccer.com.

Jimmy's Road Trip - Follow former MLS & USMNT defender Jimmy Conrad as he takes you to the best games throughout Brazil. Daily video posts on KICKTV will take fans inside the World Cup to provide Conrad's perspective on the tournament and the fan experience in Brazil.

Brazil Daily - KICKTV & MLSsoccer experts will bring fans daily news and analysis from the KICKTV studio overlooking Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach.

Studio 14 East - During each of the 64 World Cup matches, MLS Digital will house a unique responsive-content studio at its NYC headquarters. This creative social hub will combine editors, videographers, statisticians, on-air talent and graphic artists, allowing MLSsoccer and KICKTV to respond to events as they happen via web, mobile, social and video platforms.

In addition to Castrol, League partners adidas and EA SPORTS are supporting coverage on KICKTV.

"This World Cup will break all records for interest, viewership and social interaction," said Chris Schlosser, vice president, MLS Digital. "We are very excited as the majority of the U.S. team will be made up of players from Major League Soccer - stars including Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. The League has also attracted key international players, including Júlio César and Álvaro SaborÃ-o, who will be playing in Brazil. These new World Cup-focused digital initiatives on MLS Digital platforms, with an emphasis on original, unique video, will help soccer fans follow the world's largest sporting event."

In addition to daily video programming, MLSsoccer will use its proprietary cutting edge digital match experience ( http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com ) to provide in-depth live data and social curation for all 64 World Cup matches. MLSsoccer will also launch the Brazil Bracket challenge, allowing fans to compete to predict the results in this summer's tournament.

"MLS has the youngest fans of any major U.S. League, and significantly over indexes in key digital metrics like smartphone usage, digital video usage and podcast interest," said Schlosser. "We want to grow the fan base for MLS through digital excellence and strive to create products that enable our fans to stay close to their favorite players, clubs and national teams on any device."

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