MLS Strikes up Partnership with YouTube

While some soccer leagues around the world are less than keen to embrace the online video revolution (Yes, we’re looking at you English Premier League), the cool cats at Major League Soccer are following the lead of Chelsea and others by partnering with YouTube.

MLS and YouTube have teamed up to create a specific MLS channel on the video sharing site.

Executives are quick to admit that any revenue generated by the deal won’t have a major impact on the bottom line, however are excited about the extra exposure YouTube will provide the league and it’s official website.

MLS will oversee and manage its channel, and all content on the site will be the property of MLS, even videos submitted by fans. In addition to highlights, MLS plans on showing player Web logs and user-generated-video contests.

Sweet. That gives us all a better opportunity to see players like Khano Smith get their game on.

In all seriousness, this is a good move by MLS, a league that doesn’t have to worry about protecting a massive television contract like the Premiership does. The league needs all the exposure it can get and considering the impressive number of views that soccer clips get on YouTube this can only help. One thing that I think Chelsea have done especially well with their channel is that they have used video to help bring out the personalities of their players. That is something that hopefully MLS will emulate. I’d love to know who Landon Donovan fancies, if he were that way of course.

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Category: MLS, World Football