The 2025 MLS TV Thread

Yes

 

Huge alleged ratings drop. The Apple figures were never produced.

 

The FOX ratings were produced. It's not the full audience, but those are real numbers.

 

So it missed the majority of the audience.

 

Netflix does not have the streaming rights to the nats. TNT Sports is not part of the deal. Paramount, Comcast, Disney, etc could still purchase TNT Sports. Had Paramount won the bidding process, their bid included all of WB Studios, HBO/HBO Max and the TV channels.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6865229/2025/12/05/netflix-wbd-warner-bros-discovery-hbo-max/

 

Fox REALLY didn't show the anthem and walkouts for a championship game. Embarrassing production. I knew I should've watched on Apple!

 

So you've missed every other MLS Cup final on Fox.

(Personally I think anthems at club games is embarrassing).

 

Common at finals, so if it's ever to be shown it should have been here.

I hope they skip walkouts at the World Cup. I need to see THAT meltdown.

 

Off your meds?

 

I didn’t even notice until reading your post lol. But having seen it pointed out it does seem like an omission.

 

They should only play the Star Spangled Banner before all World Cup games.

 

I read this as Don Garber and thought, wtf?

Then I left the fun fantasy world of sports and returned to the sad real world of politics and realized you meant Trump.

 

The high Don not the little Don or Luca Doncic.

 

They probably will.

 

IIRC during the CWC there's a state or two where its a law to play the anthem before a sporting event so the organizers played it at like 2pm for a 5pm kickoff.

 

Texas is one of them. It only applies here to pro teams that get some financial benefit from the state. The Dynamo played it an hour before Concacaf Champions League/Cup games with no teams on the field when Concacaf said no national anthems for club matches.

 

I watched the game live on Fox but on and off since I was working. Watching the replay on Apple and it actually looks like some of the production was different. I don't remember seeing over head shots on Fox. I also listened to the game on Sirius XM when I had to walk away from the TV to work. They had a different crew for all three calls of the game, can't say I remember that ever happening. Overall I thought it was a good game but not as good as the LAFC game with Vancouver. The game had its moments back and forth almost till the third goal for Miami. The double doink always seems to be an Oman when it shows up.

 

There was a Messi fan account on X claiming worldwide expected viewership to be 100 million worldwide. Obviously anything close to that would be a game changer for MLS.

 

MLS Moves is expecting 10M views. He is going to be disappointed when he hears it won't even be a quarter of that number and then claim MLS is doomed and that Apple sucks.

 

With the early kick-off in the US, it meant those of us in Europe could watch the game at a reasonable hour. I wouldn't be surprised if that was done on purpose, given Messi and ratings. I have seen a lot of Miami jerseys when walking around Glasgow, Dublin, etc.

 

I know Messi is the GOAT and all, but to Americanize this, if Lebron was 45 years old and playing for the championship of the Turkish league I doubt I'd tune in... I am guessing that is analogous to what this is like in Europe...

 

In that case I wouldn't expect to see so many Miami jerseys and so few other MLS jerseys as I walk around the cities of Europe.