I know everyone likes to complain about the MLS Apple TV deal, but I'd argue the US Soccer deal is worse because it's locked behind a cable paywall on a relatively obscure channel or a streaming service which defeats the "easy to access" argument people have against MLS/Apple.
Since when are TBS and TNT "relatively obscure channels?" Also, MAX costs what, $9.99/month and is a better value than MLS Season Pass..... at least that's what some might say. MAX has 1000's of shows and movies that they may,or most likely won't watch, so that's better value. Being more serious, change is not easy. The media landscape is changing, and some are just not happy about that. Just like they weren't happy about it in the late 70's and early 80's when Cable TV became prominent. Just like they weren't happy when the RSN's became popular and costed them more money on top of what they were already upset about paying to have cable TV..... Costs have risen, standards and expectations have risen. Fans now expect their teams games to be broadcast in HD. To have pre and post game shows. All of that costs a lot more money than it did 5-10 years ago, let alone 30. In order to pay for the aforementioned, the broadcasters have to charge more either for commercials or their services. With the rapid cord cutting, charging more for commercials isn't helping because the advertisers aren't buying the time anymore unless it's a guaranteed huge event like the Super Bowl. So, the broadcasters are now putting their services behind a streaming paywall and charging their consumers directly.
Is this chart correct for TV ratings? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MLS_Cup_finals I was pretty sure that MLS Cup 1996 remains the most watched, but this says it was 1997? Also 2022 actually beat 1996?? Also, can anyone explain how attendance is way up, the number of teams is way up, and TV ratings never went up? Also MLS Cups 2016 and 2017 - What a huge drop for a final between the same two teams. Just because the game moved to cable? And the 2019 MLS Cup rating has to be seen as a disappointment. It was on 2 OTA channels!
As far as the ratings and attendance growth discrepancy is concerned, I've always said that it is because they are the derived from two completely different products and end user experience. Going to a live event in your local area is significantly different than watching a league match at home. For the live event, the customers are less discerning about the quality on the field, and they don't have the competition from euro/latin leagues that TV has to deal with. I've never had trouble convincing friends/family/coworkers to go to a game with me, but I'd never convince the majority of them to watch on TV. On TV, the product is entirely centered on the game. In stadium, the product has a whole lot more going on and the game itself is akin to the local band playing at a local bar on Friday night. I wouldn't watch any of our local bands on TV if they popped up on MTV every weekend, but I enjoy going to the bar and hanging out with people while those bands are playing
Just 147k for the USMNT vs Jamaica second leg. The fanbase has fallen apart for the men right in time for the World Cup.
He's blaming Apple for the lack of transparency. I doubt that. If he says 2 million (including STH) it'll be above expectations but will be slammed by every cynic who'll compare it to the other 4 major leagues. This is why the focus is on revenue and tickets distributed.
I can’t find an officially released subscriber count for Apple Arcade or a recent number for Apple TV plus either. That’s just how they operate. Realistically it’s most likely not a smashing success. Or the flop that World Soccer Talk is praying for.
I saw something the other day that said Apple TV+ has around 25M Subscribers now. This is from October: The 10 most popular streaming services, ranked by subscriber count https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-...subscribers/#dt-heading-10-starz-1588-million
It's a pretty sweet TV deal that they're going to have to decide how to build on after 2033. According to that report 75% of something are under 45 (the distinction is important I just can't be bothered reviewing but it sounds good). Domestic / International TV Deals EPL $2.125M / $2.135M Liga $1.515M / $971k BL1/2 $1.91M / $216k Sr. A $974k / $758k Lg 1 $541k / $173k MLS $249k
Ummmm.... you're numbers are way off..... That should be Billions and Millions, not Millions and thousands....
Apple has never shared numbers about anything, not even their biggest success Ted Lasso. They just don't do it. Probably because they don't really care. Apple TV+ is a minor part of their overall business so the numbers they do or don't get don't really matter to them. And Season Pass is a rounding error to Apple, they have it as a testing ground for live events so they can make moves for bigger fish.
There are other estimates putting their subscriber numbers at close to double that. So who really knows. Apple is committed long term to Apple TV+. They have a ton of high quality and expensive content on the service. Apple is also committed to MLS Season Pass, and also to growing MLS as well.