MLS TV Rights

I had some PQ issues during the first season on a non-Apple TV, but it seems to be smoother this season.

 

Walmart partners with MLS

Walmart, MLS ink partnership to capitalize on growing U.S. soccer fandom https://t.co/YCd74Lf40Z

— CNBC (@CNBC) July 29, 2025

 

https://frontofficesports.com/mls-commissioner-on-apple-tv-deal-critics-dont-get-it-yet/

Garber - all top soccer leagues will use a global model similar to MLS-Apple.

"We are just early."

I don't know which is worse ... him spouting this nonsense. Or people actually believing this.


If the Premier League does not move to this ... the rest really don't matter.

And Sky Sports in England invested in the Premier League, made it what it is. Sky would be decimated by an Apple model.

Sky would fight this, as would NBC, Canal+, etc.

The established model works very well for the Premier League ... because its content people want to watch.

Unlike MLS.

 

I think he's right...to a degree. It's $100 for everything if you're not a STM, don't have T-Mobile, don't know someone with T-Mobile or whatever other way in there is.

Meanwhile, people are complaining that you need Amazon, Netflix, Peacock, regular TV (or at least the ESPN app) and who knows what else for the NFL. Obviously this works for them because it's impossible to escape...but it hurts the big fans or the fans of a particular team. It's probably great for the casual fans though.

It'd be great to have more games on regular TV. Thanks to a number of factors, I'm really just watching Crew games and I don't really keep track of what's on Fox/FS1, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot. Is there even a singular list of games on linear TV?

 

https://www.premierleague.com/en/media/broadcasters

All of these broadcasters around the world would beg to disagree.


Besides, all Premier League games for the season direct-to-consumer sure is not going for as cheap as $100.

Not in the US. Peacock alone is more than that now.

 

Heh. I get my Peacock for $20/yr, which of course is 99% of Peacock, as I don't get live NBC on there. I'm not sure if say "all Premier League" though since the games on USA aren't on Peacock, or at least last I checked.

 

https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/19/apple-mlb-friday-night-baseball-to-end/

Apple elects to end it’s relationship with MLB altogether.

 

Some garber comments about the tv deal

Don Garber on if the possibility of getting rid of the paywall for MLS season Pass is an indicator of the subscriptions for the service:

“No, the subscription—we’re very pleased with where we are. With Apple subscriptions, our ratings and audience are strong.

I know it’s… pic.twitter.com/hMAibvicla

— Favian Renkel (@FavianRenkel) September 2, 2025

Plus this https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.c...ith-increased-viewership-commercial-interest/

 

The same people bitching about "the paywall" are many of the same ones bitching about not being able to see their favorite MLB teams on Hulu or YouTube TV.

Do they really want games on local/regional TV? "Why am I being blacked out of an away game? I live in Cleveland and the Crew game is in Portland."

 

It's the same phenomenon of people who don't watch the WNBA constantly posting about how much the WNBA sucks. These people have already made up their minds about soccer and/or MLS and they'll never watch it regardless of where or when it's broadcast. The sooner the league and media stop acknowledging them, they sooner they'll get bored and move on to hating on something else to get a reaction.

 

I don't care for the WNBA much (or the NBA to be fair). But I don't post about it either. Everyone has different tastes. I'm puzzled why folks don't get that.

 

There are two entirely different dynamics at play here and it's a mistake to look at them as being two sides of the same coin.

With basketball, most American fans have seen, or indeed played, basketball. Everyone has watched the NBA and NCAA at least a little. We all understand the game and know what good basketball played by the best players in the world looks like.

The WNBA's problem is that their product ain't that. It's just awful and, astonishingly, is getting worse, currently descending into roller derby area. (And why the league doesn't seem to mind is a mystery for the ages).

People don't watch it not because they don't like or appreciate basketball, but because it stinks. It's unwatchable. I know a young lady who went to a Div1 college on a full scholarship for 4 years to play basketball and she won't watch it either.

Now it's certainly true that MLS is not exactly a tour de force either, but people who appreciate soccer can and do watch it. It may not be top quality but it's not a complete farce either, and fans who know the difference can enjoy it for what it is.

 

Related:

AppleTV (the monthly service has removed the "+" part) and Peacock Premium Plus which doesn't have ads during most shows, but does include local NBC and downloads for $20/mo.

It'll obviously be less if you don't want local NBC, downloads and don't mind ads. "Local NBC" used to change based on location, but I haven't had that feature in a while, so maybe that's changed. It was nice to use with a VPN during severe weather if you wanted to watch regular programming.

https://deadline.com/2025/10/apple-tv-peacock-streaming-bundle-1236588826/

 

Doesn't this scream that consumers are feeling overloaded with necessary subscription so many (other than Netflix) are finding customer acquisition increasingly challenging so now have to pivot into the bundle/value game to get the edge?

 

Other than the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle, which doesn't really count since it's all the same company (Hulu is undergoing a seismic shift next year and merging with Fubo), how many other bundles are there? I've been using Disney+ for archived stuff and, when I need it, Hulu for live TV. I haven't really needed the ESPN app in some time.

Fox One and ESPN have a bundle.

Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max have a bundle.

I'm not counting stuff like T-Mobile, Verizon or Walmart+, since most of that stuff is included in the bill if it's not a premium item.

Phase One was cable/satellite.
Phase Two (or 1.5) is/was streaming providers like Hulu Live, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue (RIP!), Fubo, Philo and whatever other similar services there were.

The next phase is paying the content owners directly and using the algorithm served by your device to determine what shows to watch. "Oh, you like this actor? Here's something you haven't seen. Oh, you like House Hunters? Here's "My Lottery Dream House!"

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the streaming providers eventually go away, especially if more and more people opt for the direct-to-consumer model. Is YouTube TV going away next year? Most likely not. Is 2030 a long way off? Absolutely.

Of course they want to bundle up since it seems more appealing to the customer. (Add this other service you may or may not be a heavy user of for half the price it would cost!)

We'd all better get used to it.

 

MLS, Apple TV to bring games outside of extra paywall in 2026: Sources - The Athletic

"MLS will no longer be behind a separate paywall on Apple TV beginning in 2026.

MLS and Apple have agreed to alter the partnership agreement at the end of the 2025 season, multiple sources told The Athletic. MLS Season Pass will no longer exist, and all MLS games will be available on the Apple TV streaming service. (Apple rebranded Apple TV+ to Apple TV.)"

 

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.c...ches-moving-to-main-apple-tv-package-in-2026/

Season-ticket holders across the league, who have previously received a complimentary subscription to MLS Season Pass, will now receive an annual Apple TV subscription at no additional cost.

 

For those of us that already subscribe to Apple TV, this just removes another benefit of being a STM. Yay.

 

Ahem:

The benefit actually gets better under the new arrangement.

 

You are a fool though if you don't realize all Apple TV subscription prices aren't going to go up with them having MLS and F1.

 

Ahem.

I doubt Tim Cook will be refunding previously paid annual subscription costs. If this new code doesn't expire and is good for 12 months from whenever it's first used, then this is a good deal. In prior years, it had to be activated near the start of the season.

 

So cancel your membership then re-subscribe with the benefits code.

 

Unless you pay for AppleTV through AppleOne...then you can't unless you want to lose the rest of the services (and we do it mainly for the iCloud storage). Stinks but that's life of bundled services I guess.