Two months after being purchased by cable veteran Rocco Commisso, the New York Cosmos have secured a regional TV deal for their spring games, which will be shown on New York independent station WPIX and MSG Networks.

The club’s NASL home opener against Miami FC at MCU Park on April 1 will be broadcast on Tribune Media’s flagship New York station, WPIX, Channel 11. According to the team, the game marks the first time the Cosmos will play live on broadcast television in over 30 years.  

MSG Networks will kick off their Cosmos coverage on April 8, with a match against Miami FC at FIU Stadium in Miami.  MSG Networks will carry a total of 13 of the club’s games during the spring season.

RELATED: U.K.-based Eleven Sports buys One World Sports assets

"Television is a critically important piece to building and sustaining a successful professional sports brand,” said Cosmos’ Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover in a statement. “With WPIX and MSG, we have found two exceptional partners to help bring the fun and excitement of Cosmos’ games to millions of homes in the New York metropolitan area.”

In addition to the regional coverage on WPIX and MSG Networks, a number of Cosmos games will be available through the national television deal expected to be announced by the NASL before the spring season starts later in March.  The Cosmos local television schedule for the fall season will be announced later in the year.  

Cosmos games had originally been shown on pay TV network One World Sports – its former owner was a partner in the firm that owns the network. One World Sports has fallen on hard times recently, but is expected to announce a deal with U.K. sports network Eleven Sports later in the week.

Commisso, the founder, chairman and CEO of Mediacom Communications, agreed to purchase the Cosmos in January. Since buying the team, Commisso has managed to secure its leadership, pay back wages to players and front office personnel and find a new home for the club – Brooklyn’s MCU Park. He had said in the past that striking a TV deal was on the agenda, but was a lower priority. With those major hurdles cleared, the time was ripe to strike a TV agreement.

"MSG Networks is proud to be the regional home of Cosmos soccer,” said MSG Network’s Vice President of Content Distribution and Affiliate Partnerships Armando Polanco in a statement. "It's a new era for the legendary American club and we are excited to watch the Cosmos defend their NASL title."

Mediacom Communications founder, chairman and CEO Rocco Commisso pledged to right the New York Cosmos soccer club in a press conference call Tuesday, starting off by paying back wages to players and front office staff and culminating in rebuilding the ailing team.

“We found our savior,” said Cosmos chief operating officer Erik Stover, speaking of Commisso on the conference call. “A savior for this club and I believe very strongly a savior that has helped the North American Soccer League going. A leader that can help the league grow and help this club grow.”

Commisso agreed to buy the club from Sela Sports and former chairman Seamus O’Brien. The deal was done at a breakneck pace – at the conference Commisso said he was first contacted by the Cosmos on the Friday before Christmas at 10 a.m.; by 1 p.m. the next day they had hammered out the basics of a deal. The biggest holdup was getting the U.S. Soccer Federation to assure that the league the Cosmos play in  -- the North American Soccer League – would continue as a Division II entity.  With its second tier status intact, Commisso said the deal was reached quickly.

The Mediacom chairman is now the majority owner – O’Brien retains a minority interest in the club – of the soccer team that once held court for the biggest names in the sport. Under another former media mogul – the late Warner Communications chairman Steve Ross – the Cosmos fielded teams in the 1970s with such icons as Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto.

Commisso started off the press conference on a somber note, offering condolences to the family of former Cosmos player Roberto Cabanas, who died at age 55 of a heart attack Monday. Cabanas had played for the Cosmos for five seasons beginning in 1980 and was the second highest scorer in team history.

Commisso got right back to business on the conference call, adding that he is committed to the team’s success. Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, Commisso added that he is willing to do what it takes to filed a successful team.

“I think I am getting into this situation with my eyes open,” Commisso said on the call. “I think I bring my entrepreneurial experience, my resources, the connections I have worldwide with the financial community and the media community.”

His first priority will be to pay back wages to players and front office personnel. That could happen as early as Thursday, Stover said on the conference call. Commisso added that his next priority will be to secure key employees and management for the team, including Stover and head coach Giovanni Savarese, in whom Commisso said he has complete confidence.

While Savarese will be tasked with rebuilding the player roster – the Cosmos have lost six players, including 2016 league MVP Juan Arango – that may not be as difficult as it seems. The Cosmos won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 2016 but the club expected the 36-year old Arango to play just another year. And, Yohandry Orozco, another top player last year, was mainly there to get fit and showcase his talents for other clubs.

Commisso’s other task will be finding a venue for the team to play. The Cosmos lost their right to play at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium and has been talking to other colleges – including Commisso’s alma mater Columbia University – and minor league baseball’s Brooklyn Cyclones for use of its MCU Park in Coney Island. Whatever the decision – and it has to be made fairly quickly as the regular season starts on April 1 – Commisso said the goal is to have the team play within the five boroughs of New York City.

With the deal the team’s TV rights, formerly locked up with One World Sports, revert back to the Cosmos. That would free the team to negotiate with other networks – like BeIN Sports and CBS Sports which already carry other NASL contests. But Commisso said while important, securing a TV deal is not an immediate priority.

“It’s crucial long-term, it’s not crucial today” Commisso said. “I have lots of contacts out there. It’s on the agenda to deal with the broadcasting rights and the cable rights.”

Mediacom chairman, CEO and founder Rocco Commisso can now add sports mogul to his lengthy resume, with the purchase of North American Soccer League champion the New York Cosmos.

Commisso will be chairman of the club as well as its majority shareholder. Speculation regarding his involvement with the team has been rampant for days.

Commisso is buying the team from Sela Sports and Cosmos chairman Seamus O’Brien. According to reports, O’Brien is expected to stay on as a minority owner.

The Cosmos are one of the best-known names in the NASL, and had a storied run in the 1970s with iconic players like Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto. In recent years, the team has been relegated to the second tier NASL.

“Like so many of our fantastic fans, I have followed the Cosmos since the fabulous days of Pelé, Chinaglia, Alberto, and Beckenbauer,” Commisso said in a statement. “With my deep roots in the New York City area as a former player, youth coach, and proud supporter of the Columbia University soccer program, I look forward to building on the rich history of America’s most iconic soccer club.”

Commisso, a life-long soccer fan and a star player in college – he was co-captain of the Columbia University squad in 1970 – should bring stability and needed funds to the club.

The Cosmos have lost six of their top players to other teams in recent months – including 2016 NASL MVP Juan Arango – and have reportedly lost as much as $30 million over the years.

As defending champions of the NASL, the Cosmos will return to the field in 2017 with head coach Giovanni Savarese at the helm.

“Cosmos fans deserve a world class experience,” said Savarese in a statement. “I am thrilled Rocco is giving me the opportunity to continue as head coach to pursue our fourth championship in five years.”

The Cosmos are expected to officially unveil the new ownership at a teleconference at 11:30 a.m. today.  

“We’ve worked hard to secure a positive future for the club and Rocco is the perfect person to lead the continued renaissance,” O’Brien said in a statement. “He is not only extremely knowledgeable about the beautiful game as it is played worldwide, but brings extensive entrepreneurial experience in the media and communications business to the organization.”

Mediacom Communications founder, chairman and CEO Rocco Commisso is close to purchasing iconic professional soccer franchise the New York Cosmos, with some reports claiming the cable baron could take control of the team as early as this week.

UPDATE, Jan. 10, 2017: It’s Official: Commisso Purchases NY Cosmos

The Cosmos plan to hold a press conference tomorrow morning (Jan. 10) at 11:30 a.m. to offer an update on the team's plans for the 2017 season. No further details were available but sources familiar with the situation said it is likely the fete is to introduce new ownership.

The Cosmos, once the home of soccer legends Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer during its heyday in the 1970s, has fallen on hard times of late, reportedly furloughing workers and deep in debt.

Currently owned by Sela Sports and One Word Sports owner Seamus O’Brien, the Cosmos have lost as much as $30 million over the past several years, according to some reports.

About six players have already left the club, including 2016 league MVP Juan Arango, to sign with other teams.

The team also has been looking for a permanent home – it previously held games at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium in Long Island, but was ousted from that venue earlier. The team has been negotiating to play at MCU Park in Coney Island, N.Y., home of Class A minor league baseball team the Brooklyn Cyclones. The NASL regular season starts in April.

Commisso was seen as a savior for the team, which has been seeking a buyer for months.

One of the conditions of the deal was that the league the team plays in – the North American Soccer League – retain its Division II status with its parent league the MSL. That was achieved last Friday – governing body U.S. Soccer Federation granted provisional Division II status to the NASL as well as former Division III league the USL on Friday.

On its website, the Cosmos confirmed full participation in the NASL’s 2017 season, adding that the affirmation of the league’s Division II status “allows us to move forward with confidence.”

According to reports, Commisso was expected to pay back wages for players and front office staff once he assumed control of the team. O’Brien is expected to retain a minority interest.

Reports began to surface last week that Commisso was in line to purchase the Cosmos. A native of Calabria, Italy, Commisso was a college soccer star at Columbia University, where he served as co-captain of the soccer team in the 1970s and was invited to try out for the 1972 U.S. Olympic Soccer squad. Columbia named its soccer stadium after Commisso in 2013,  acknowledging his strong support of the soccer program over the years. He is still an avid fan of the sport and is said to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the game.

Niche sports channel One World Sports has furloughed certain workers in an effort to cut costs, and the network is in talks with a potential buyer.

News of the furloughs was first reported by sports web site Awful Announcing. 

According to sources familiar with the company, a potential investor One World Sports was courting dropped out of the picture, which forced the sports network to look for short-term cost cutting opportunities, including the furloughs. One World also is in talks to sell the channel to an investor that can help it scale expenses.

According to Awful Announcing, the troubles at One World are much deeper. Citing anonymous sources, the website said that despite president and CEO Sandy Brown’s characterization of the furloughs as temporary and involving “some” employees, every employee has been let go and that the company regularly missed payroll and failed to pay vendors.

In addition, Awful Announcing reported that Brown told employees Sunday that he was seeking a buyer and if one wasn’t found this week, One World Sports would file for bankruptcy protection. 

In a brief interview, Brown told Multichannel News that much of Awful Announcing’s information was inaccurate, but he wouldn’t give specifics.

“We’re very excited about where the network is headed,” Brown said in an interview. “We’ve got a very bright future and we’ve just got to get through this.”

While he said he could not give specifics about sales talks, he was confident a deal will be reached soon.

“I think we’re going to get this resolved,” Brown said.

One Word Sports was formed in 2010 and is owned by Dallas-based One Media Corp. The network primarily offers NASL soccer games – One Media’s chairman is New York Cosmos owner Seamus O’Brien – English soccer from Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, and FC Bayern Munich and top soccer from Asia and the Pacific Rim. The network also telecasts the England National Cricket Team’s international home matches, Kontinental Hockey League, Champions Hockey League, Chinese Basketball Association, OneAsia Golf Tour, and table tennis and badminton competitions around the world.

The Cosmos and the NASL also are having difficulty. ESPNFC reported that the Cosmos denied reports of shutting shut down operations and said the club's future would be decided after wrapping up negotiations with the league. The NASL itself is having problems and other club owners are currently meeting in Atlanta with potential investors in the hopes of keeping the second-tier league afloat.

One World Sports is available in about 43 million U.S. homes and has carriage deals, mainly on sports tiers, with Charter Communications, DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Mediacom Communications, RCN, Atlantic Broadband and others.  

This item was updated on Dec. 1 to correct a reference to the ESPNFC story linked above.

Soccer remains an ever-important ratings and revenue driver for Hispanic sports networks.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that Univision Deportes and ESPN Deportes are each gearing up for tournaments they believe will be key draws for sponsors and viewers.

The 100th year anniversary edition of the Copa America Centenario tournament, to be held in the U.S. for the first time, is typically the biggest sporting event in the Americas. The tournament pits teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL member nations in a format similar to the World Cup.

While the first ball won't be kicked until June 3, Univision Deportes is already in pregame mode. Airing each Monday at 9 p.m. is America Redonda - Camino a la Copa America Centenario. The weekly show features an in-depth look at everything leading up to the tournament.

Hosts Luis Omar Tapia, Diego Balado, and José Luis López Salido will conduct exclusive interviews with the managers/head coaches of the participating teams, including Juan Carlos Osorio (Mexico), Jürgen Klinsmann (United States) and Gerardo Martino (Argentina). 

Additionally, Univision Deportes has set airdates of April 10, May 1 and May 15 for the 60-minute investigative feature Expediente. Featuring an in-depth look at failures and successes in the world of sports, the show is hosted by Adriana Monsalve, Lindsay Casinelli, Alejandro Berry and Iván Kasanzew and will focus solely on the tournament for its third season.

Meanwhile, Univision Deportes viewers can watch some of the best Copa America matches from years past, as they will be replayed daily until the start of this year's tournament.

Meanwhile, ESPN Deportes has already released its coverage schedule of the 2016 International Champions Cup tournament, which begins July 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET with Scotland’s Celtic vs. England’s Leicester City and concludes August 13 with Celtic vs. Italian side Inter Milan.

The ICC matches are part of an agreement with Relevent Sports granting ESPN the U.S. English-language and Spanish-language rights to the tournament through 2018.

 “The ICC is a great complement to our lineup of marquee international events this summer led by UEFA Euro 2016,” ESPN senior vice president of programming Scott Guglielmino said. “We look forward to showcasing some of the best soccer brands in the world across our media platforms to our bilingual soccer fans.”

And North American Soccer League (NASL) fans can now follow their favorite teams on beIN Sports, thanks to a rights deal with the second-tier U.S. pro soccer league that runs through 2017. Network coverage kicked off April 2 with Miami FC vs. the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

“With our new partnership with NASL firmly in place, we’re betting big on North American programming rooted in a growing U.S. fan base,” beIN Sports managing director Yousef Al-Obaidly said. “Featuring some of the country’s top professional soccer talent, this acquisition represents the first time we hold the rights to a domestic soccer league, further showcasing our commitment to providing access to the best sports leagues and events, both here and abroad.”

The NASL is comprised of 12 teams in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and uses a split-season schedule running from April to early November, with a four-week break in July.

“We're obviously very excited to announce our new partnership with beIN Sports,” said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. “Like the NASL, beIN Sports has quickly grown in importance and stature across North America. Our savvy pro soccer fans here in North America are watching beIN Sports on a regular basis, and now they'll be able to watch exciting and competitive NASL action every week.”

The New York Cosmos enter the 2016 season as defending champions, and will face additional competition as three new teams make their NASL debut this spring: Oklahoma City-based Rayo OKC, owned by Spanish club Rayo Vallecano; Miami FC, co-owned by Italian soccer legend Paolo Maldini; and Puerto Rico FC, owned by New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

Of course, beIN Sports's mainstay soccer telecasts are the likes of "El Clasico," the Spanish La Liga contests between F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid. The latest rendition, on April 2 from Barcelona's Camp Nou, ended in a 2-1 victory for the visiting team, with the late, winning goal coming from Cristiano Ronaldo. The broadcast averaged more than 1.9 million total viewers across the English and Spanish language channels and dominated on social media: on a tweets per unique author basis it had the most socially engaged audience of any sporting event on the day, including two Final Four games in the NCAA basketball tournament on TBS, beIN Sports said. The most-tweeted moment of the game was when Ronaldo scored the winning goal: 11,000 tweets at 4:15 p.m., according to the programmer, citing Nielsen. In Spanish, it was the top soccer telecast year to date against all cable networks regardless of language, the programmer said.