Revisiting the MLS-Apple Deal

A unique match has some noticeable flaws as year two nears an end.

When Major League Soccer announced a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with Apple for streaming rights to all its games with no blackouts in June 2022, this reporter said at the time MLS was making a bet that the future is with cord-cutting and over-the-top platforms such as Apple TV. After nearly two seasons, the results have been mixed.

The league and Apple received a boost when Lionel Messi  decided to join Inter Miami and that generated some subscriptions to the MLS Season Pass. However, with Inter Miami’s elimination in the Conference quarterfinals at the hands of Atlanta United, there goes that main drawing card.

The deal also allowed MLS to control when it streamed its games (7:30pm local time most games),  yet at the same time, tailored its playoff format to appease Apple–which might have allowed Atlanta to defeat Inter Miami.

There’s something else to consider according to an article in World Soccer Talk:

Apple’s deal with MLS to sell subscriptions to the MLS Season Pass streaming service includes a minimum guarantee of $250 million annually. Out of that money, MLS pays for all of the production and talent costs, which are in the tens of millions of dollars. If and when MLS reaches the number of subscriptions agreed with Apple, which is a closely guarded secret, MLS will earn 50 cents on every dollar (i.e. a 50% revenue share model). As of October 2024, the league has not hit that magic number to trigger the revenue share agreement.

Indeed, Apple is very averse to disclosing viewership numbers of its Apple TV+ service, which may be just as well as a report in July from Bloomberg had Apple TV+ accounting for just 0.2% of TV viewing in the United States. This despite spending billions on content such as movies and shows like Ted Lasso that have met with rave reviews and awards.

In an era where there is more soccer on TV and streaming platforms than ever and more spread out than ever in this country, Major League Soccer tried to stand out within Apple’s ecosystem. The fact that there are a few games on Fox for those who still get their sports on linear platforms only is merely an afterthought since they are not exclusive.

On the plus side, it does prevent MLS clubs from being caught up in the ongoing saga concerning regional sports networks that does plague Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League. Also, it gives the league worldwide coverage it would otherwise not get with linear platforms all over the world such as Sky Sports in the UK. At the same time though, it still faces an uphill battle to draw eyes given the attention the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League get on this side of the Atlantic.

Another troubling aspect is MLS’s determination to own the soccer conversation in North America may have resulted in some own goals. It has tried to place greater importance on the Leagues Cup–which is on Apple TV in its entirety–while pulling most clubs away from the US Open Cup where the semifinals and final were on Apple TV, but were on CBS Sports Network and Telemundo the previous year. Also, probably not the best idea to hold Leagues Cup just after Copa America which was also in the United States.

As for the coverage itself, it has been very good. However, it’s overly reliant on word of mouth from fans than anything Apple does to promote it. When was the last time you saw Apple promote the MLS Season Pass? The league needs at least to market itself much better and/or get Apple to help in that regard. Marketing still matters in soccer besides word of mouth from your most ardent fans.

There is room for improvement for the league to increase its exposure and get more viewers to its product. One idea may be to feature a match or two outside from a 7:30pm time slot to showcase the league. Some people also like day games and it wouldn’t hurt to have one once in a while. If you need a linear partner, maybe one that does not phone in its coverage like Fox has. CBS and ABC have done better jobs covering the NWSL playoffs so far (six of the seven playoff games in that league are on those channels).

This is a a proposal for MLS to move to a “fall-to-spring” calendar in line with most of Europe after the 2026 World Cup. For now, one can understand such a move if it avoids going up against the NFL during the Fall. However, consideration needs to be given to places such as Minnesota, Chicago, and Toronto if the league eventually decides to go that route. Part of the reason Fire owner Joe Mansueto was seeking a new stadium for his club was to get more summer home games that he cannot get at Soldier Field. It may make for a better product in the end, but not if there is an unfair advantage towards cities in warmer climates however unintentional.

So to conclude this article, where there are pluses to the MLS/Apple deal as it concludes its second year, there are many concerns as well as the deal such as the perceived lack of viewership and Apple’s lack of transparency about viewership overall. There’s also the league’s attempts to own the soccer conversation in this continent that have resulted in a few self-owns that could turn off fans. It needs to listen to its fans more as opposed to tailoring things to Apple’s ecosystem only. Otherwise, the league’s attempt as going digital only will go the way of those attempts by the Fire and DC United at the end of the last decade.