Two days before its season begins, the Crew has a local broadcast partner.
The Crew signed a two-year deal with an option for a third with Time Warner Cable SportsChannel after spending the past two seasons on Fox Sports Ohio. The deal will include more programming than before but on a network only available on Time Warner Cable.
Specific financial details of the agreement were not disclosed
“It’s tough because we had to make a decision that we knew was going to be unpopular with some of the fans, but we weighed the alternatives and what Time Warner Cable SportsChannel was bringing to the equation we thought was very meaningful for our club and ultimately for our fans,” Crew president Mark McCullers said.
“Ultimately, it was all of the factors that Time Warner Cable SportsChannel was able to provide, including making us a priority.”
Fans who do not get Time Warner Cable can subscribe to MLS Live or Direct Kick to view Crew games not nationally televised, but games will be blacked out within a 75-mile radius of Crew Stadium in areas where Time Warner Cable is available. McCullers said the Crew looked into adjusting the blackout restrictions but could not make it happen.
Specific viewership figures are not available, but Time Warner Cable is the largest cable provider in Ohio and Columbus with a distribution within the state of more than 2 million. The Ohio State campus gets Time Warner Cable, but students must pay an additional monthly fee to access the channel as part of a sports package.
In addition to the games, the deal will include pregame and postgame coverage, as well as additional programming. The broadcast team of Dwight Burgess and Chris Doran with sideline reporter Ashleigh Ignelzi will return.
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