MLS Primetime Thursday

MLS Primetime Thursday
Starring	JP Dellacamera Rob Stone Glenn Davis John Harkes Kyle Martino Allen Hopkins Alexi Lalas Tommy Smyth Julie Foudy
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	2 hours (2.5 hours select games)
Release
Original network	ESPN2 (2007–2008)
Original release	2007 – 2008

MLS Primetime Thursday was the weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN2 for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The program was presented by Adidas.

ESPN and MLS had previously had a contract where ESPN2 televised live games, usually on Saturday afternoons. Under the arrangement, no rights fee was paid, and MLS controlled production, advertising, and promotion. Time slots varied under the deal, secured by Soccer United Marketing's providing of rights to the FIFA World Cup.

For the 2007 season, an eight-year deal was signed with an $8 million rights fee. ESPN added several features in an attempt to improve presentation—high-definition broadcasts, a sky-cam for some matches, a virtual offside line, a ball tracer, a sideline reporter, and three commentators. For the inaugural season, 2006 FIFA World Cup announcers Dave O'Brien and Eric Wynalda served as play-by-play and analyst, respectively, with Allen Hopkins serving as the sideline reporter.Tommy Smyth was later added as a co-analyst.Glenn Davis and Rob Stone filled in for O'Brien on occasion.

For the 2008 season, JP Dellacamera and John Harkes replaced O'Brien and Wynalda as the lead team with Davis, Smyth, and Julie Foudy occasionally filling in.

Following the 2008 season, ESPN discontinued the Thursday programming, citing lagging ratings and hoping to find better lead-in programming. It was replaced by the MLS Game of the Week, which rotated among a variety of nights and time slots.

...
Wikipedia