Scott Mitchel described it as the “biggest deal ever” in Canadian soccer at the Media Press event Wednesday evening, going on to describe the ten-year contract with Mediapro as having the capability to increase access for Canadians at an unprecedented level. According to Neil Davidson of the Vancouver Courier, Mediapro is investing $200 million into the Canadian project over the lifetime of the deal. The deal gives Mediapro the rights to produce content for the national teams, the Canadian Premier League, and lower division and grassroots soccer (according to Oscar Lopez Garcia, CEO of Mediapro Canada).

Mediapro is most well-known in Canada for their production of beIN Sports, although they are also responsible for a number of other productions and channels throughout the world. Their sophisticated 360® technology has been adding a new level of immersive content for football lovers globally. This technology is something that Commissioner David Clanachan is particularly excited about: “we’re the third channel that they will do in this three-sixty content atmosphere. Spain, one of the best leagues in the world; France, one of the best leagues in the world; and Canada”.

An essential part of this deal is the partnership that it represents. Some have expressed concerns about the length of the deal, but Clanachan feels that is one of the highlights of the opportunity, since Mediapro will have reason to really build and invest in the project; “why did they pick Canada? Because they can see that they can start down here and build over all those years”. This idea of building the brand of soccer in Canada was a feature of Mediapro’s presentation. One of the events of the night was a (very) long video of Mediapro’s work with La Liga, and how they had brought a new level of sophistication to the league’s content. According to Garcia, they were able to “more than triplicate international sales for La Liga”. In the same way, Mediapro intends to “create a home of soccer for all Canadians”, starting with the national teams and going on to the Canadian Premier League and grassroots clubs.

The one burning question on content that wasn’t answered at this release was how exactly this content will be released. Speaking afterwards with Clanachan, he was asked how exactly the content will be consumable. He explained that Mediapro will, from day one, be producing 360 content that encompasses the game itself as well as aspects around the game. That content will be released by Mediapro, who will “make sure that the channel is available on multiple platforms. And so, some will be on traditional broadcasts hopefully, some will be streaming”. The most important thing to focus on, for Clanachan, is choice, and “being able to consume the content across Canada”.

This is certainly an exciting opportunity for the league and Canadian soccer. This writer recalls when, in the early days of CPL discussion, fans would talk about content release and companies like Facebook and Youtube would be named as ways for the league to freely distribute the games. It was always assumed that the league would need to pay for the production and distribution. This partnership is a sign to Canadians and businesses that this league is not a small-scale start-up, it is attracting some big names and big businesses. Keep it coming.

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Nathanael Martin Nathanael is a Political Theory MA graduate Not-For-Profit Professional who spends way too much of his time reading about, writing on, and watching the beautiful game. After playing soccer throughout childhood, his love was rekindled when Toronto FC gave him the opportunity to cheer for a local soccer team on the national stage. Since then, he has become passionate about Canadian soccer and the development of Canadian players through the Toronto Academy system and other branches of Canadian soccer.

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