DC United has "entered into a multiyear partnership" for game broadcasts with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns WJLA-ABC, according to Steven Goff of the WASHINGTON POST. The deal "ends United’s relationship" with Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, which along with the former Home Team Sports "showed the MLS team’s matches for all but one of 20 seasons." Sinclair will "carry every United match," but because of WJLA's network commitments, many games will appear on Sinclair's NewsChannel 8, "a cable outlet that does not have the reach of the mothership." DC United Dir of Media & Communications Lindsay Simpson said, "Sinclair offered us a deal we simply couldn’t turn down. Comcast SportsNet has been a great friend and partner, but this was such a great deal." Goff noted while WJLA is "readily available outside the immediate Washington area, NewsChannel 8 is not." To "satisfy fans in places such as Baltimore and Richmond, markets served by CSN, Sinclair would need MLS’s approval to show matches on alternative channels." Terms between the club and Sinclair were not disclosed, but Sinclair is not "paying a rights’ fee." Instead, the two sides have "entered into a partnership and will share costs." The sides also will "partner on match production," with United overseeing sales. As part of the deal, United "has the option of a weekly show." Sources said that the club had "become increasingly frustrated with CSN’s scheduling conflicts, particularly late in the MLS season when CSN prioritized" Capitals and Wizards games (WASHINGTON POST, 12/19).
