Fan–focused soccer — at last!

Why Major League Soccer is a major deal for Apple TV+

MARC CHACKSFIELD

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple VP for Services, Eddy Cue with some of the stars of MLS Season Pass.

Image rights: Apple Inc.

Major League Soccer is going through one hell of a glow–up right now. Apple has a ten–year deal on the rights to MLS, thanks to a rather surreptitious turn of events, where the owners of the MLS found themselves owning the entire rights for every single team and every single game, both locally and globally. Given the knotty rights for other leagues (Premier League included, which sees its broadcasts split between Sky Sports, Amazon and TNT in the UK), this was an opportunity for a broadcaster to come in and “own” the entirety of MLS’ coverage globally. Which is a pretty big deal!

STREAM THE ACTION

In a few short months from acquiring the rights, Apple created the MLS Season Pass, a subscription service available through the Apple TV+ app, and available in more than 100 countries and regions.

The MLS Season Pass features every live MLS regular–season match, the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup1 all in one place. Plus, the game that marks the midway point of the season: the MLS All–Star Game. A lot of the content is free, including the MLS 360, a near five–hour live show that captures the key moments from every match.