FloSports is doubling down on its foray into Major League Soccer. The Austin-based over-the-top sports media company announced Monday that it has reached a deal with FC Cincinnati to become the team’s exclusive regional streaming broadcast partner.

The two-year agreement, which runs through the 2020 season, is the second MLS local rights package that FloSports has bought since launching soccer vertical FloFC.com earlier this year. FloSports is the exclusive local broadcast partner of D.C. United.

FC Cincinnati just began its first MLS season after a three-year run in the United Soccer League.

“What we were looking for was trying to get the most exclusive rights that we could get our hands on,” FloSports vice president for global rights acquisition Mike Levy told the American-Statesman. “And then we really appreciated the passion that fanbase has showcased as a USL team. They’ve had tremendous ticket sales early on and we’re bullish that they’re gonna have success.”

The partnership with FC Cincinnati is not entirely exclusive, as local Sinclair TV station WSTR Star 64 will broadcast games in the market. Regionally, fans in areas such as Louisville and Lexington, Ky., and Dayton, Ohio, will only be able to access games via FloFC.com — unless the games are aired by one of MLS’s national broadcast partners.

This season, 27 of 34 FC Cincinnati matches will appear on local broadcasts. Outside team regions, all MLS matches are available on the ESPN+ subscription service.

“We’ve been talking to Flo for a long time about how we can do something together,” MLS senior vice president of media Seth Bacon said. “When we continued to talk we realized one of their strengths is distributing live content. For us, the most available, beneficial and valuable opportunities that exist are our local media rights.”

Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but Levy said FloSports paid a rights fee for both the D.C. United and FC Cincinnati packages, on top of committing resources to film and produce in-depth features and interviews.

A subscription to FloSports costs $150 per year, which pencils out to $12.49 per month. There’s also a $30 monthly payment option. Subscriptions provide access to all platforms within the FloSports network — a total of 25 verticals covering everything from track and field to wrestling, gymnastics and cheerleading.

D.C. United fans received an email for a discounted subscription. Levy said that won’t be the case for FC Cincinnati.

“At present we’re not looking at that,” he said. “There’s always flexibility and working with the club to make sure we’re driving the best engagement possible. There was a unique aspect to the D.C. United deal that enabled them to control pricing.”

FloSports co-founder Mark Floreani hinted at the second MLS rights deal during a South by Southwest panel Friday about the future of sports media rights. Bacon was also on that panel, and there were several members of the Austin FC front office in attendance.

“We should just bring them up and sign the contract now,” Floreani joked, before adding, “It’s our early days with MLS. The D.C. United deal is our first and we have another one coming up.”

D.C. United fans encountered issues Sunday during the first FloSports broadcast of the team's match against New York City FC. Some users were blocked from viewing the game in a region that shouldn't have been.

"D.C. United is deeply disappointed by the broadcast problems in its first match on FloSports today," D.C. United co-chairmen Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien said in a statement. "We are taking these issues very seriously and find the problems encountered unacceptable. We entered into this agreement with FloSports to offer in-depth year-round coverage and to ensure that our fans can watch our matches in high definition and on their mobile devices for the first time in our 24-year history.

"We contacted officials at FloSports during the broadcast as it became clear there were significant issues and these discussions continued late into the evening. In the coming days we will be working with FloSports to ensure this does not happen again."

MLS’s national TV deals were a topic of discussion on the SXSW panel Friday, as the league's current contracts with ESPN, Fox and Univision expire in 2022. Teams have been asked not to sign local deals beyond then so MLS can potentially offer a comprehensive package to bidders.

Meanwhile, FloSports is investing in soccer beyond just MLS. The company has rights to Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana (available in Canada only), and has an agreement with CONCACAF for the new Nations League competition featuring national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

“We keep getting bigger and better rights, which only tells us that the marketplace is ready for it,” Levy said. “We’ve just got to go out and do what we do.”