LAFC finalizes deal for games to be broadcast on KCOP-TV and Bally Sports SoCal

LAFC has a new local broadcast partner — two, actually — as the MLS team announced Thursday it has finalized a deal for games to air in Southern California on KCOP-TV Channel 13 and Bally Sports SoCal.

The first of 18 broadcasts split between the two outlets will air Saturday when Ch. 13 shows LAFC’s game with the Colorado Rapids. Max Bretos will continue to handle the play-by-play for both broadcasts.

Pre- and post-game shows will air 30 minutes before and immediately following all matches on both channels with Mark Rogondino serving as the host and Katia Castorena as the sideline reporter.

LAFC’s local Spanish-language broadcasts will continue to be aired on Estrella TV.

LAFC’s three-year jersey and broadcast deal with founding sponsor YouTube TV expired at the end of last season and president Larry Freedman said the team wanted to move away from a subscription streaming service to a more conventional broadcast partner.

“You're going to be able to tune into the games without subscribing to something new and different. We think it's going to be exceptionally well received by the fan base. And I think it's a great way to gain exposure,” he said. “You just sit in front of the box and you're changing the channel, looking for something. If you didn't have the YouTube TV platform, you couldn't [see] one of our games in English.”

LAFC has been in negotiations with KCOP and Bally Sports for months, part of a larger rebranding that has seen German toolmaker Flex replace YouTube TV as the team’s primary shirt sponsor. Mattress company Nectar has its name on the club’s practice uniforms and training center at Cal State L.A.

LAFC still is seeking a new naming-rights sponsor for its Exposition Park stadium. Banc of California, the team’s original partner, asked out of the agreement as part of a recent restricting, although it gave the team $20.1 million last year to leave its name there until a replacement is found.

LAFC 2021 Broadcast TV Schedule:

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.