HARRISON, N.J. – Just days before the start of another MLS campaign, the Red Bulls appear to be inching towards a television deal for the 2011 season.
New York general manager Erik Stover told gathered media on Tuesday that a deal is looming to put the Red Bulls on the small screen for this year, including the season against Seattle on Saturday.
“We’re very confident that it will be televised,” Stover said. “We’re very confident in our negotiations.”
Stover would not divulge the media outlet, although a camera crew from New York-based MSG was on hand to film the open training session at Red Bull Arena on Tuesday. Traditional voices of the Red Bulls, including Shep Messing, Steve Cangialosi and Joe Tolleson were all present.
“We’re pretty far along,” Stover said. "Obviously, we have to be with a game coming up this week."
Stover spent the offseason pursuing various options for programming, including the team producing their own games. Along with MSG, network affiliate UPN 9 was also mentioned among the possible outlets for New York to broadcast their games.
“I think we were open in exploring lots of other options, not just regional sports networks,” Stover said.
Stover is optimistic that the deal will be far more comprehensive for Red Bulls fans, offering extensive coverage of the team leading up to the game.
Kristian R. Dyer can be followed at twitter.com/KristianRDyer
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