CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After returning from the brink of relocation, the Columbus Crew SC is returning to its former television home. Fox Sports Ohio/SportsTime Ohio will produce and broadcast 33 of the club’s 34 regular season matches. The networks, which last aired Crew games on Fox Sports Ohio in 2013, takes over the rights from Spectrum. The agreement is a multi-year deal. “Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio are pleased to welcome the Columbus Crew back to our all-star programming lineup," said Tom Farmer, Fox Sports Ohio/SportsTime Ohio’s VP of programming, in a release. “This is a new era for the Crew, and we are excited to deliver in-depth coverage for the team’s passionate fan base.” SportsTime Ohio kicks off the broadcast schedule with the season opener against the New York Bulls on March 2 with longtime Crew announcers Neil Sika and Dwight Burgess behind the mic. Telecasts will rotate between SportsTime Ohio and Fox Sports Ohio with the exception of the match against FC Cincinnati on August 25, which will air nationally on FS1. The season wraps up on SportsTime Ohio Oct. 6 with a match at Toronto. The networks will also produce 30-minute pre- and post-game shows. All coverage will be streamed on the Fox Sports Go app. It’s been an eventful few months for the Crew. For awhile, it appeared the capital city’s MLS franchise was headed to Austin before an ownership group, which included Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, stepped in to purchase the club late last year. The new owners plan to build a new stadium for the Crew in Columbus’ Arena District.
Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew SC's games will be broadcast on the Fox Sports Ohio/SportsTime Ohio networks for the first time since 2013. The station secured the rights from CLEVELAND in a multi-year deal.