USL League One sign rights deal with ESPN

New third-tier US soccer league USL League One has agreed a media-rights deal with Disney-owned OTT platform ESPN+.

Every USL League One match in 2019 will air on the platform, which also features Major League Soccer, Serie A, as well as the FA Cup and the EFL Championship among its soccer offerings. ESPN+ also holds rights to the second-tier USL Championship. The OTT platform passed the two million subscriber mark in January.

“This is a big moment for League One,” said League One senior vice-president Steven Short. “Placing the league side-by-side with some of the best professional soccer in North America and the rest of the world on ESPN+ will create major visibility to League One’s inaugural season. It will allow us to showcase the best of what this league will have to offer for fans across the United States.”

Another third-tier league, the National Independent Soccer Association, was provisionally sanctioned by the US Soccer Federation this past weekend, and will kick off its inaugural campaign in August. It has yet to announce a media partner.