The tech giant kicked off a 10-year partnership with Major League Soccer on Wednesday with the launch of Season Pass on Apple TV+. The Apple launch comes after a transformative year for sports and streaming services. The NFL further embraced streaming last year as Prime Video carried Thursday Night Football and Major League Baseball partnered with Apple TV and Peacock to stream games. The NFL also reached an agreement with Google’s YouTube TV to carry the “Sunday Ticket” package beginning next season.
The streamer has revealed the pricing and launch details of its new MLS Season Pass after it landed the rights to the league earlier this summer. It marks one of the biggest sports streaming deals at a reported cost of $2.5 billion and comes as Apple ramps up its sporting interest with rights to certain MLB baseball games.
Apple Inc. is building an advertising network for live television as part of its deal to stream Major League Soccer games next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The company is holding discussions with advertising partners and MLS sponsors in advance of the launch next February about airing advertisements during soccer games and related shows, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
Apple and Major League Soccer have announced a 10-year partnership on a streaming service that will allow fans to watch every game without local blackouts or restrictions. The service will be available exclusively through the Apple TV app beginning next year.
Major League Soccer and Apple may soon be finalizing an agreement to bring the top domestic soccer league to Apple TV+, according to a report from Sam Stejskal, who broke the story on Twitter.
Exclusives
The league announced Wednesday that this year’s MLS Cup will be shown on the network for the 14th time in 24 seasons. The final on Nov. 10 will start at 3 p.m. ET. It also will air on Univision in Spanish.
Major League Soccer (MLS) and Pluto TV, the free streaming television service, today announced the launch of the league’s channel on Pluto TV (ch. 203). “Major League Soccer’s agreement with […]
Jon Champion is making a Brexit of his own, leaving England to become ESPN’s lead announcer for Major League Soccer. The 53-year-old has been broadcasting British matches since 1988 and […]
The league wraps up with most-watched MLS Cup in 15 years, following a stronger season for regular-league play, smartly building on an NFL lead-in. Up next: team expansion.
A watershed moment in Major League Soccer’s 18-year history will occur this week, as the league is poised to announce new media rights deals that will bring in far more revenue and lead to a consistent, streamlined television schedule. The eight-year deals with ESPN, Fox and Univision are priced five times higher than the average annual value of the league’s current media deals.
