Tv hasn't been a top 5 factor in driving the growth of North American leagues. TSN broadcast CSL in the 90s but it soon folded. American MLS tv numbers were largely stagnant. MLS went for Apple deal in part because they didn't view tv as a key growth driver. TSN's MLS tv numbers were good for about 3 years but otherwise have had no traction. For Canadian tv, only World Cup & Olympics (women) have been a significant growth driver for the sport. Other major issue is that tv didn't pay Canada Soccer for rights for 30 years. Now with cord cutting, there are 40% less TSN/SN subs & the main demo left watching is >55 who aren't going to grow the sport. 85% of soccer shown in Canada are on streaming platforms. 3/5 of the most watched leagues in Canada are on streaming platforms including the most watched. Fragmented viewers amongst many leagues & tourneys doesn't work too well for ad-supported tv business model.
Well, 2 out of 3 mentioned the Cavalry vs Whitecaps game as the more intriguing game on Tuesday. So there's that. Most of the segment was talking about the 11am start time, not about teams in the east specifically, they just happen to be the ones with the early game. But I do get that they spend a lot more time generally on teams in the east, in particular Toronto/Hamilton.
