Apple Signs 10 Year Exclusive Deal For All MLS Games On Apple TV+
After the launch of Friday Night Baseball which got off to a rocky start and rumours of a streaming rights deal for the NFL Sunday Ticket, Apple have announced their latest expansion into sports with the MLS.
Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) have recently announced from early 2023 through ten years to 2032, that football fans can stream every MLS match, as well as Leagues Cup, and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches exclusively on Apple TV+. This will work without any local broadcast blackouts or the need to pay for traditional TV sports bundles. This means you can watch MLS on Apple TV+ on any device that has the Apple TV app wherever you are in the world, with no geographic restrictions, a first for sports streaming.
Also, as part of the service, there will be a new weekly live match highlights and commentary show featuring game replays, highlights, analysis and other original programming. Apple have also commented in a press release that this will show behind the scenes of players and clubs that fans have grown to love.
A selection of games including popular matchups will be available to stream for free on Apple TV+ at no additional cost to subscribers, but the service will require an add on subscription for the MLS. It is not currently clear what the pricing structure will be like. The MLS streaming service will be included as part of MLS full-season ticket packages.
When the service launches, all MLS and League cup matches will have announcers in English and Spanish. Any match that features a Canadian team will have commentary in French as well. There will be an enhanced coverage for fans in the Apple News app, something recently announced at WWDC as an upgrade to the News app which will now have a dedicated sports section.
As the US, Canada, and Mexico prepare to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this new addition to Apple’s streaming service may prove to be a lucrative plan to bolster subscriber numbers to their streaming service as the sport and league continues to grow in the USA. According to multiple people familiar with the agreement, the deal is reportedly worth $2.5 billion.
