It's been more than a few years since MLS fans have had a weekly TV show to call their own. But the wait is over.
This Friday, June 21, MLS Insider, a new weekly show, will debut on the NBC Sports Network.
Produced by Hock Films, which is headed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Hock, MLS Insider will air on Friday at 7:30PM ET/4:30PM PT on the NBC Sports Network and at 2:00PM ET on the TSN networks in Canada.
Hock, who has won eight Emmy Awards and made three critically acclaimed documentaries for ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series, says that MLS Insider is not going to be your typical weekly sports show.
"The depth of passion within MLS culture is unlike anything else in America and Canada," he said. "We aim to immerse the viewer in very human stories – the good, the bad, the heroes, the villains – the whole range. Don’t expect a highlight show.”
WATCH: MLSsoccer.com exclusive interview with Jonathan Hock
This Friday's premiere episode includes in-depth features on New York Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill and LA Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers. It also features a behind-the-scenes look at the Philadelphia Union supporters group, the Sons of Ben, put together by Nick and Colin Barnicle's Prospect Productions, which created a recent 30 for 30 Short titled Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner about the famous baseball card.
(Note: Friday's episode of MLS Insider will air on TSN2 in Canada.)
More MLS-related programming: MLS+
MLS Insider is the initial production of a new initiative called MLS+, the league announced on Tuesday.
MLS+ is "a new content and distribution group that brings together top storytellers, producers and digital media partners to create a broad range of soccer programming on multiple platforms," according to a statement released by the league.
Content created by MLS+ will include new television shows, digital series, mini-documentaries, mobile applications, lifestyle features, user-generated content, and more. Distribution partnerships include NBC Sports Network and NBCSports.com, TSN and RDS, KickTV, the MLS YouTube channel, and, of course, right here on MLSsoccer.com. It will also include a wide range of digital partners, such as Yahoo!, MedioTiempo, and SB Nation.
