MLS Cup Final 2023: League, Apple, NEP Group Partnership To Produce First Championship Match on MLS Season Pass The companies will also provide linear coverage on Fox Sports, Fox Deportes in the U.S. By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Friday, December 8, 2023 - 10:17 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After a highly entertaining eight months of Major League Soccer on Apple TV featuring more than 1,000 matches, the digital platform's inaugural regular season will conclude with the MLS Cup Final on Saturday, Dec. 9, with one of the original clubs, the Columbus Crew, vs. the third-newest team in the Western Conference, Los Angeles FC (LAFC). The three-pronged partnership of MLS, Apple, and NEP Group will elevate the production quality of the league's biggest event and cap off an exciting first year of MLS Season Pass.
This is the most complex workflow in the world right now, and we're delivering an exponential amount of video [because of it], says Seth Bacon, EVP, media, Major League Soccer. It's controlled chaos, but there's something nice about being able to have a week to plan for an event like the MLS Cup Final.
75+ Deliverables, 20+ Cams in 1080p: Connected-Production Ecosystem Is Put to the Test For the marquee MLS event, the production and operations teams are deploying their tech arsenal as well as their connected-production ecosystem. The match will include more than 20 cameras to capture every angle of the action, but the most impressive aspect of the MLS Cup Final is the multi-layered production workflow that debuted at the start of the 2023 regular season. Based at NEP's data center in Dallas before being dispersed to other locations - VISTA Worldlink's South Florida-based facility, NEP's Mediabank MAM operations in Washington, DC, the Apple Live Operations Center (ALOC) in NEP's Production Center in Los Angeles, the MLS Season Pass studios in New York City - the workflow is firing on all cylinders to handle the multiple responsibilities of distributing the match to the masses.
Inside the control room of Major League Soccer's headquarters in New York City (All photos: MLS)
The platform offers many deliverables for this one event, says Joshua Liemer, president, VISTA Worldlink. That's the secret sauce to what MLS has been delivering this year. Early on in this journey, we set out to build this ecosystem, but what has impressed me the most is that [the final will] be delivered in a variety of languages and graphics packages.
In addition to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, the crew will be sending feeds to numerous linear platforms: domestic broadcasters Fox Sports in English and Fox Deportes in Spanish, Canadian broadcasters TSN in English, RDS in French. With all the video signals in 1080p, any match day can be quite daunting, but, with the ecosystem in place, the operation can move forward with minimal hiccups.
The ecosystem is what has been able to connect all these dots, adds Liemer. We always say it takes a village, but, in this instance, it takes the ecosystem to bring it all together.
Operations in Ohio: Logistical Challenges Resolved With Columbus-Cincinnati Semifinal Although the ecosystem served as the main artery for distribution during the regular season and broadcasts of Leagues Cup, the production strategy will be used in a support role for Saturday's game. Opting for an onsite production to crown this year's champion, the team will be working out of three trucks (one for English-language team Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman, and Katie Witham on Apple, one for Spanish-language team Sammy Sadovnik, Eduardo Biscayart, and Antonella Gonzalez on Apple, one for the linear outlets). Two of the trucks are from NEP Group: Supershooter 7 and Supershooter 29.
Logistically, a prior result - Columbus Crew's dramatic 3-2 victory over FC Cincinnati in a postseason edition of the Hell Is Real derby - helped solidify operations plans for the last match of the year. Because of playoff seedings, the winner of the Eastern Conference Final would dictate where the championship would be held. At slightly more than 100 miles from the teams' respective venues, Lower.com Field in Columbus, OH, was the best possible outcome for the drivers of NEP mobile units and the onsite technical staff.
It was a dream scenario because were able to lock in the exact crewing that we wanted and needed, says Liemer. We've been able to prepare to produce from this venue for a good amount of time.
NEP Group is a pivotal piece in the production of MLS Season Pass on Apple.
In addition to preparing for the 2023 final, the team has become familiar with the stadium that will host the 2024 MLS All-Star Game on July 17, 2024. To make things easier for next summer's broadcast, two-year-old Lower.com Field is the third-youngest stadium in the league. With a recently opened venue comes an updated tech infrastructure, which is very much welcomed for a production emphasizing connectivity.
The new MLS stadiums being built are the most technologically advanced from both a fan experience and a production standpoint, says Bacon. We have very strict standards that we put on our clubs in regard to camera locations, connectivity, and fibering. It was helpful to know that Ohio was going to be our destination, but, when you go through a season with 77 Leagues Cup matches in 34 days, you become pretty good at being nimble and reacting quickly to deploy a full-scale production.
This special relationship with Lower.com Field will allow on-field studio programming before and after the match on MLS Season Pass. The English-language team will feature Sacha Kljestan, Kaylyn Kyle, Liam McHugh, Andrew Wiebe, and Bradley Wright-Phillips; the Spanish-language team, Tony Cherchi, Miguel Gallardo, and Diego Valeri.
Year 1 Reflec
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan's 62nd Golden Hors...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
25/11/2025
Mathias Broe attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Sauna at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Fes...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
MLS Cup Final 2023: League, Apple, NEP Group Partnership To Produce First Championship Match on MLS Season Pass The companies will also provide linear coverage on Fox Sports, Fox Deportes in the U.S. By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
