LONDON/NEW YORK: Sky Sports has secured the UK broadcast rights to Major League Soccer.

The pay-TV giant and the US domestic competition have signed a four-year deal, which will come into effect in time for the start of the 2015 MLS season in March. The agreement was brokered by IMG, which will represent MLS in its international media rights sales for the next eight years.

MLS was previously screened in the UK by BT Sport, Sky’s major rival in British sports coverage, and ESPN. The deal comes with former England midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard set to move to the US at the end of the Premier League season, joining LA Galaxy and expansion franchise New York City FC respectively.

Former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, who retired last year after four seasons with the New York Red Bulls, is now a Sky Sports pundit, while LA Galaxy’s former megastar midfielder David Beckham is an ambassador for the company.

“Football in the US and Canada has enormous potential for growth and we can’t wait to bring this competition to our viewers for the first time,” said Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis. “Thierry Henry has joined us, he created fantastic memories in MLS, and we look forward to seeing more of those great stories from across the Atlantic.

“We offer an unrivalled range of sport across our seven channels and we are always looking to offer more choice. After recently adding football from Holland, Italy and UEFA European qualifiers, we are delighted to now add MLS to that list.”

Gary Stevenson, the president and managing director of MLS Business Ventures, added: “As MLS continues to grow into a global brand, we are excited to partner with Sky Sports, a leader in the UK TV market, to bring the sport to millions of soccer fans. 2015 is a milestone year for MLS including new stars, new clubs and a new brand. Sky Sports will help continue to grow the league and its clubs worldwide.”