Major League Soccer’s DC United is reportedly in talks with Sinclair Broadcast Group over a local television rights deal.
The move comes after discussions with NBC Sports Washington faltered due to the regional sports network’s programming conflicts with the National Basketball Association’s Washington Wizards and National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals.
According to the Washington Post, Sinclair is the front-runner to carry 27 matches on its local outlets WJLA and WJLA 24/7 News, which carried DC United’s matches from 2016-18. Sinclair would also provide pregame and postgame shows, as well as a midweek program, as part of the deal.
DC United has also reportedly been in talks with local Fox affiliate WTTG.
The planned deal with Sinclair follows DC United’s disastrous partnership with subscription-based OTT streaming provider FloSports, which was cut short after less than a season in October 2019.
DC United recently extended its jersey sponsorship deal with government contractor Leidos through the 2021 season, and signed a sleeve sponsorship deal with Caesars Entertainment. The club is also in the process of adding safe-standing seats to Audi Field.
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