Dynamo Land New Local TV Deal (Sort of)

At last it appears the Dynamo have a better local television deal, though it's still a little confusing as it's only for six games. I assume the remainder of the games that are televised locally will remain on FS Houston, but details about that haven't been released yet.

From what I can tell, it's a step forward and it means some games might actually be broadcast locally in HD. About time! In addition the broadcast on KPRC, Houston's local NBC affiliate, will include a 30-minute pre and post-match show. The six matches will be branded as a "Match of the Month" broadcast, which sounds a bit cheesy but it really sounds like an improvement over the abysmal local TV coverage over the past couple of seasons.

There have been rumors that the league's new deal with NBC and the NBC Sports Network led to some encouragement from the Peacock brass towards their local affiliates to pick up some MLS coverage. If that's the case, it's another positive windfall of the new TV deal.

Check out the team's press release about the new deal with KPRC-TV after the jump.

The Houston Dynamo and Houston's NBC affiliate, KPRC-TV, have reached an agreement to broadcast six regular season matches for the 2012 season. KPRC will exclusively air a "Match of the Month" on the station's main channel, KPRC Local 2, and feature Dynamo ancillary programming on its digital channel throughout the season.

This agreement marks a new milestone for the Dynamo as they will make their television debut on the primary channel of a local network affiliate. Each broadcast will be in high-definition and feature a 30-minute pre and post-game show from the KPRC studios.

"Having our games broadcast on a major local network is a very positive development for our organization and our fans," said Dynamo president Chris Canetti. "It is another sure sign of our on-going growth. I appreciate KPRC's vision and look forward to a great partnership."

In addition, the Dynamo and KPRC will collaborate on a monthly show that will include news stories, player features, and analysis of past and future Dynamo matches. There will also be a segment in the KPRC weekly sports show dedicated to the Dynamo.

"KPRC Local 2 is thrilled to air the fasted growing professional sport and a world-class team in the Houston Dynamo," said KPRC-TV general manager Jerry Martin. "We are excited to showcase the Dynamo and their new stadium for home-town sports fans in the coming year."

The broadcast schedule will feature six Saturday night games versus Eastern Conference opponents. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, April 21: @ Columbus - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 28: @ D.C. United - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19: @ New England - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 30: vs. Philadelphia - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 21: vs. Montreal - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 29: vs. New England - 7:30 p.m.