MLS Games Will Be Live Streamed On Facebook Live This Season

In another sign that Facebook aims to bolster its streaming video offerings, Major League Soccer announced an agreement Friday with Univision Deportes to live stream games from the 2017 MLS season on Facebook.

The streaming agreement, which is a partnership between MLS and Univision Deportes, is slated to show at least 22 games from this season. Games will be streamed via Univision Deportes’ Facebook page. The streams are produced natively for Facebook and include features like Facebook-specific commentators and in-game fan polling.

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The first game to be streamed will be a match between the Atlanta United and Chicago Fire on March 18 at 4 p.m. ET. MLS will also produce Matchday Live, a Facebook gameday show that’ll preview upcoming MLS games and provide MLS highlights and analysis. The show can be viewed on the MLS Facebook page.

The site’s MLS partnership is a strong acquisition as the social media network looks to improve its video presence. The move is also similar to Twitter’s livestreaming of several NFL games last year. For Facebook, which has reportedly looked into showing Major League Baseball games, the company wants streaming video to be as big of a draw to you as seeing photos and posts from your friends on your News Feed.

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Facebook’s recent moves within the past few months emphasize this goal. Along with a series of smaller tweaks to videos on the network, Facebook recently launched a TV app for various set-top devices. In the app, you’ll be able to watch streaming videos and other content on your home TV.