Seattle Sounders FC today announced its complete regional broadcast details for the 2022 Major League Soccer season. Fans of the club can continue to follow the Rave Green through one of the most diverse slates in Major League Soccer, as Seattle maintains its relationships with all of its existing regional television, streaming and radio partners.
“We are excited to continue working with all of our broadcast partners this season, including FOX 13 and FOX 13+, Prime Video, iHeartMedia Seattle and El Rey 1360 AM,” said Sounders FC Owner & President of Business Operations Peter Tomozawa. “The dedication of these partners to providing unrivaled coverage and access across an array of platforms is a key ingredient to our ability to engage and connect with our fans. That connection is more important than ever in 2022, as Sounders FC kicks off the March to the 50th – a two-year rallying cry for the team and fans as we approach the club’s 50th anniversary in 2024. We have big plans on the horizon and we’re looking forward to collaborating with our broadcast partners as those plans come to life on and off the pitch."
MEDIA RESOURCES
In regional television, the club’s home remains FOX 13 (KCPQ Channel 13) and FOX 13+ (KZJO cable 10 / Channel 22), seeing FOX 13+ return as the primary television home for regional broadcasts of the Rave Green throughout Western Washington for the fifth straight season. All home and away Sounders FC matches for non-nationally televised broadcasts are available to in-market fans, with FOX 13 carrying four contests and FOX 13+ carrying the remainder of the schedule. FOX 13 and FOX 13+ continue to provide both a 30-minute pre-match show and 30-minute post-match wrap-up following each game.
FOX 13 is also carrying several Sounders FC specials during the 2022 season, including a Sounders FC Matchday program airing on FOX 13+ at 4:00 p.m. PT Sunday, February 27 ahead of the club’s opening MLS Regular Season match vs. Nashville SC. Additionally, FOX 13 is profiling the team during its weekly Seattle Sports Live sportscast, which airs Sundays at 11:00 p.m. PT on KCPQ following the flagship FOX 13 News at 10. Dating back to the first year of the partnership between the Rave Green and KCPQ in 2014, Sounders FC’s regional broadcast ratings have led Major League Soccer each season, a hallmark of the continuing relationship between the two organizations.
“FOX 13 is delighted to televise another exciting season of Sounders FC,” said Sheila Oliver, Senior Vice President & General Manager of FOX 13 and FOX 13+. “This team is incredibly dynamic and its fans are electric. I know we’re all cheering on the Rave Green as they make another run for the MLS Cup.”
Prime Video continues as Seattle’s official video streaming home in 2022, following a landmark agreement in 2020 that saw Sounders FC become the first professional soccer club to team up with the streaming service, as well as just the second sports franchise for which Prime Video secured regional broadcast rights (following Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees).
Prime Video is the exclusive streaming destination for the Rave Green, with all regionally televised Sounders FC MLS matches available on Prime Video to fans with a Prime membership throughout the entire state of Washington at no additional cost. Sounders FC’s regional broadcast territory extends throughout the entirety of Washington State – inclusive of the traditional Seattle-Tacoma-Everett television DMA and key population centers like Spokane, Yakima, Tri-Cities and Vancouver, Washington – allowing fans everywhere in the Evergreen State the opportunity to watch the Rave Green via Prime Video. Stream from the web or using the Prime Video app on your smartphone, tablet, set-top box, game console, or select smart TV.
New in 2022, fans accessing Sounders FC matches through Prime Video can watch the games in native 1080p / full HD resolution streaming content, the highest standard in the broadcasting and streaming industry.
Additionally, fans accessing the Rave Green through Prime Video can find club-specific content available via the dedicated Sounders FC team page, which houses live and archived regional Sounders FC matches, highlights, player interviews, press conferences and more.
“We are thrilled to continue as a premier hub for Washington’s dedicated Sounders fans,” said Marie Donoghue, vice president of global sports video at Amazon. “As the exclusive streaming home for the Sounders, Prime Video offers customers an unmatched viewing experience, whether they’re watching at home or on the go. We’re excited to kick off another great season with them this spring.”
Keith Costigan, Kasey Keller and Steve Zakuani all return to the booth in 2022, reprising their roles from past seasons. In his seventh year with Sounders FC, Costigan is once again set to call regional matches for the Rave Green, while maintaining his national duties with FOX Sports. Former MLS Sounders Keller and Zakuani return to their analyst duties, as the former United States Men's National Team goalkeeper and the 2009 first overall SuperDraft selection are set to work alongside a choice selection of rotating pre-match, halftime and post-match talent. Among this group are former Sounders Brad Evans, Marcus Hahnemann, James Riley and Lamar Neagle, as well as fan favorite and former FOX 13 sports reporter Michelle Ludkta, who returns this season to host home match coverage.
In radio, Sounders FC continues its flagship partnership with iHeartMedia Seattle for the fifth-consecutive season. All home and away Sounders FC MLS matches are being carried on Sports Radio 950 KJR AM or 1090 KJR AM, including a dedicated 30-minute pregame and 30-minute postgame show surrounding each contest. Additionally, the station is continuing its hour-long Sounders Weekly program, hosted by Jackson Felts and airing at 7:00 p.m. PT every Tuesday evening throughout the season, while Head Coach Brian Schmetzer joins Dave “Softy” Mahler and Dick Fain every Tuesday evening live at 5:45 p.m. PT.
“We couldn’t be prouder to continue bringing Sounders FC fans yet another season of club programming on Sports Radio KJR,” said Rich Moore, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Seattle. “The Rave Green’s supporters are unmatched in their passion for the club, and we’re excited for them to continue listening to all the action on 950 KJR AM, 1090 KJR AM and the iHeartRadio App.”
Introduced last season and continuing in 2022, match action audio for regionally televised games is being simulcast between television and radio, with radio listeners able to take advantage of the exceptional crew that the Rave Green has in Costigan, Keller and Zakuani. For nationally televised matches, the trio is calling Sounders FC games exclusively for the radio broadcast. As mentioned above, dedicated pregame and postgame shows continue to bracket every radio broadcast, with Jackson Felts leading those efforts and working alongside Pete Fewing, Danny Jackson and Diego Arrioja.
The club also continues its partnership with El Rey 1360 AM as the Spanish-language home for Sounders FC matches in 2022. With play-by-play voice "Zuper" Mario Rodríguez alongside Carlos Tapia and Felipe Maqueda on the call, El Rey 1360 AM is set to carry all 34 Sounders FC matches during the 2022 regular season. El Rey 1360 AM also offers 30-minute pre-match and post-match shows as part of its matchday coverage, as well as a 30-minute weekly radio show, Somos Sounders FC. The latter is hosted by Felipe Maqueda, and he is joined by Carolina Antipolo, Carlos Tapia and Marlo Vilela, airing Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. PT.
In addition, Sounders FC is in active conversations with longtime partner Univision-Seattle (KUNS-TV) to air a select number of match broadcasts and Sounders FC Fútbol en Vivo programs throughout the year. More information will be released in the coming weeks.
Seattle's 2022 MLS campaign begins this Sunday, February 27, as the Rave Green host Nashville SC at Lumen Field. That match kicks off at 5:00 p.m. PT and fans unable to join in person can tune in via FOX 13+, Prime Video, 950 KJR AM or El Rey 1360 AM. Expanded pre-match coverage on both FOX 13 and FOX 13+ is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.
