The Premier Lacrosse League is planning to launch across the United States next June. Central to the PLL’s hopes of success will be national coverage through NBC Sports Group’s linear and streaming platforms.
According to a press release, the inaugural PLL season will start on Jun. 1, 2019, and run for 14 weeks, including an all-star game, playoffs, and the league’s championship weekend on Sept. 21. Games will be played by a field of six teams in 12 major cities across the U.S. and all league games will be broadcast live via NBC Sports.
“Ever since I fell in love with the game I dreamed of being a professional athlete on the sport’s biggest stage,” said Paul Rabil, 2017 SportTechie Award winner and co-founder/CSO of the PLL, in an announcement. (Rabil’s brother, Mike, is also the CEO.) “We’re building the professional sports league that lacrosse deserves. The best players in the world will be showcased like never before, thanks to a unique touring model, a robust media-rights partnership, and player content strategy. Additionally, our players will be owners in the PLL, contributing to the build, competition, and ultimate success of the league. This is a product that aligns a league and the players like never before, serving a passionate fan base that deserves access to the sport nationwide, at state-of-the-art venues, and on screens everywhere.”
Through 2018, Rabil was a player for the New York Lizards in Major League Lacrosse. He is a two-time winner of MLL’s championship, the Steinfeld Cup, two-time league MVP, the league’s all-time scorer (with 596 points), and has played in 10 all-star games. SportTechie selected him as the Most Tech-Savvy Athlete of 2017.
Next season, Rabil’s new league with be the MLL’s primary competitor. The PLL’s deal with NBC Sports is likely to give it a huge advantage in that fight, despite the league being brand new.
“As the exclusive home of the PLL, we’ll super-serve fans across the country by utilizing all of our unprecedented assets to drive awareness to this exciting new league,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports, in the announcement of the partnership. “NBC Sports has a long and successful history of growing emerging sports into powerhouses, and we’re excited by this new opportunity.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Although this deal includes 17 games broadcast through NBC Sports Network and two more on NBC itself, all of those games will be available through NBC’s streaming options. Another 20 games will be provided through subscribers of NBC Sports Gold. Lacrosse is a minor sport in the U.S., and this deal could offer a clue to other small sports that are seeking to expand fanbases. (As another example, the World Surf League streamed its 2017 season through Facebook Live.) The investment required for streaming is significantly lower than broadcast, and streaming platforms can still have the potential to reach a huge audience.