The following is a press release from MLS Communications.
NEW YORK (Friday, Feb. 19, 2016) – TSN, the official national broadcaster of MLS in Canada, today announced its national broadcast schedule for the 2016 MLS regular season. TSN will air 30 regular season matches, with every game featuring at least one MLS Canadian team. In addition, RDS, now in its fifth year as an MLS broadcast partner, will air 28 regular season games featuring all three Canadian clubs: Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
For the full schedule of TSN and RDS games, visit MLSsoccer.com/schedules. Team-specific schedules are available at the individual sites of the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
MLS 2016 Broadcast Schedule for Canada Announced
Canadian fans will immediately be treated to the class of MLS on March 6 with a double feature on TSN and RDS kicked off by 2015 Supporters’ Shield-winning New York Red Bulls hosting defending Landon Donovan MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco and Toronto FC at Red Bull Arena (1:30 p.m. ET, TSN4, RDS). The second match, as part of a dual broadcast, features international star Didier Drogba and the Montreal Impact traveling to face their west coast Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place (5:30 p.m. ET, TSN1/3, RDS).
In addition to its season opener in Vancouver, TSN and RDS will broadcast four more all-Canadian affairs, including Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC on April 23 (4 p.m. ET; TSN4, RDS) and Oct. 16 (5 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS), Toronto FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC on May 14 (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN4, RDS), and Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact on Aug. 27 as part of MLS Heineken Rivalry Week (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN4, RDS).
TSN will also carry “Decision Day” contests with playoff spots potentially on the line, as Vancouver hosts defending MLS Cup champion and Cascadia rival Portland Timbers (4 p.m. ET; TSN1), while the Chicago Fire visit Toronto FC on October 23 (4 p.m. ET; TSN4).
After Toronto FC’s eight-game road trip to begin the season, TSN will air the club’s home opener against FC Dallas at the newly renovated BMO Field on May 7 (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN4). Phase two of renovations to BMO Field cost roughly $140 million and included major upgrades to canopies over the stands that will be on full display for the 30,000 expected fans in attendance and those watching on TSN.
Defending AT&T Rookie of the Year and Canadian international Cyle Larin, teammate Kaká and the rest of Orlando City SC will appear on TSN five times, while five action-packed Cascadia Cup matches will air on TSN as Vancouver Whitecaps FC look to outmuscle the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC for their third Cascadia Cup title in four years.
TSN and RDS will have exclusive coverage of games in the MLS Cup Playoffs – which saw the most-watched game ever on TSN and RDS in an all-Canadian affair between Montreal and Toronto last year – 2016 MLS Cup, and the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game which will feature Arsenal FC on July 28 at Avaya Stadium, home of the San Jose Earthquakes
MLS games on TSN, TSN2, RDS and RDS2 can be seen live on TSN GO and RDS GO.
About TSN
TSN is Canada’s Sports Leader and #1 specialty network. With a broad portfolio of multimedia sports assets, TSN delivers world-class content across its industry-leading platforms including five national television feeds, TSN.ca, TSN GO, and TSN Radio stations across the country. With more championship events than any broadcaster in the country, TSN’s deep and diverse roster of live sports programming includes the Grey Cup, IIHF World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada events, CFL, NFL, NBA, MLS, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Season of Champions Curling, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, MLB, Barclays Premier League, Golf’s Majors, NASCAR, F1, Grand Slam Tennis, NCAA March Madness, and Skate Canada and Rugby Canada events. TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company.
About RDS
RDS is Canada’s French-language sports broadcasting leader and Québec’s #1 specialty network. In addition to its world-class content delivered across multiple platforms, including RDS, RDS2, RDS Info, RDS.ca and RDS GO, RDS offers the broadest portfolio of French-language sports programming in the world. Official broadcaster of the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, CFL and Grey Cup, NFL and Super Bowl, MLS and MLS Cup, MLB and World Series, Olympic Games until 2026, FIFA World Cup until 2022 and EURO 2016, UEFA Europa League and Champions League, exclusive French-language broadcaster of the Montreal Alouettes, F1®, and the Tour de France, RDS’s slate of channels present more than 4,000 hours of live programming each year, including Montreal Impact soccer, UFC, the IIHF World Junior Championship, St. John’s IceCaps hockey, NASCAR, PGA Tour golf including all four majors, ATP tennis including all four Grand Slam tournaments, Barclays Premier League, Seasons of Champions Curling and Skate Canada events. RDS is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company.
