Is the MLS Regretting Its Deal With Apple?

Is the MLS Regretting Its Deal With Apple?

The 2025 MLS season began on Feb. 22, with each team and fanbase hopeful that this could be their year to make a run at the MLS Cup. It also brought with it the reality that just about every game hides behind a strict paywall thanks to Apple TV and MLS Season Pass.

One MLS GM told The Athletic, “They have to end the deal with Apple. It’s bad for the fans.” Another said, “I think we have to be on more linear outlets. We have to be on ABC, NBC, Fox more regularly because I think a lot more people watched our games when we were in that space.… pic.twitter.com/zLqP9b503G

— MLS Moves (@MLSMoves) March 11, 2025

If you do not believe me, there will be 510 MLS regular season games in 2025. Of those 510, only 34 matches will be broadcasted on linear TV split between FOX and FS1. That is just 6.67% of 2025’s regular season games.

The issue with this deal that the MLS has with Apple TV is that it is limiting the exposure that the league could have if it were on more linear outlets. Rather than being able to tune in to games on ESPN, ABC, NBC or CBS, for example, fans who wish to consume the MLS on a regular basis need to purchase an MLS Season Pass for $99 on Apple TV.

With higher-quality leagues being broadcasted on linear networks and cheaper subscription platforms, why would a casual fan choose to spend $99 for Season Pass on top of paying for Apple TV? The answer is they will not, and this is causing serious concerns amongst MLS general managers who took part in an anonymous survey conducted by the Athletic.

In the survey, some executives said the league needs to end the agreement as soon as possible since it is bad for the fans. Others argue that while streaming is likely to happen in the future, more linear coverage is needed in the present. The following quote from one GM, however, sums things up the best when looking at how the MLS is competing with other leagues and sports and how this Apple TV deal has hampered them:

“The reason why people don’t watch (MLS) now is as simple as you can watch anything all over the world,” the GM said in the survey. You can watch American football, soccer. The amount of hours to dedicate a weekend to watching something, you can choose one of hundreds of things to watch. If you want basketball, no offense to MLS, but are you going to turn on the Serbian league? You’re not. You’re going to watch the best product.”

Watch Out MLS, A New Division One League Is Coming

While the league and Apple TV are trying to address these issues by offering promotions and deals to get more eyeballs watching, the reality is that MLS’s partnership with the streaming provider is crippling its growth potential.

Unfortunately, the soonest the deal with Apple TV can be ended is 2027, meaning nothing can be done in the short term. The sad thing for the MLS is that this broadcasting deal is limiting the league’s exposure in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup that will be hosted on American soil, and because of the contract they signed, there is no remedy on the horizon.

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