MLS and Apple have been very secretive in the past about the performance of the MLS Season Pass. In November 2023, Apple Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue told a conference that each of the biggest MLS games last season attracted more than a million viewers to the service, noting that "no one expected that". But let's take a look at the current situation.

'Sources briefed on the numbers' told 'The Athletic', that more than one million people watch MLS games on an average Saturday across all games and that about 94 percent of subscribers think the Season Pass is 'significantly' better than previous broadcasts, and that playoff viewership is up about 50 percent from 2023 to 2024. Paul Tenorio, writer for ‚The Athletic’, said that number may have been helped by Messi and Miami in the playoffs, as well as a huge boost around Miami's playoff opener, but the attendance was still up even when Miami's three playoff games were removed.

There is no way to compare these figures with other streaming services. A million Saturday viewers a week sounds good, but is it? It's hard to say because we don't know much about the growth of these numbers and it's hard to compare the MLS Season Pass to other streaming services. What does look positive is the 50 per cent increase in playoff views, with the latest MLS comment saying that subscriber numbers were ‚better than expected’.

The league strategically consolidated all of its media rights about three years before the rights window opened to create a 'one big package' to offer to potential domestic partners.

Apple is heavily involved in the project. They have built a large team to focus on the Season Pass and are in regular contact with MLS executives. According to sources, Apple executive Eddy Cue recently sat in on a meeting of the league's Sports and Competition Committee to discuss with owners what Apple is doing to help the league expand and move forward, as well as to review what MLS wants to do in this area in the coming years.

The decision to work with Apple and the MLS was a risky one, but both sides had a lot to gain from the 10-year deal. Apple is investing a lot of money. Not only are they investing in streaming MLS, but they are also an official sponsor of the entire league. MLS is doing its part by pushing viewers to streaming as much as possible. Many sports viewers are locked into linear viewing habits, so this is no easy task, but it looks like the partnership has been very profitable and rewarding for both companies so far.

Apple's ambitions for sports are clearly bigger than the MLS, but perhaps it's just another step in their efforts in this area, trying to navigate the transition of many more leagues to streaming. Apple sees sports as a very important part of its content. They are looking at a lot of different sporting events, different leagues, because it could be a key piece of content to have a really profitable platform. Viewers want more than just movies and shows.

The innovative 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple has delivered significant improvements, including broadcast quality for all matches and global accessibility without blackout restrictions. As consumers continue to shift from linear to streaming options, MLS wonders if its groundbreaking deal came too soon - especially in the saturated American sports market and as the soccer viewing landscape expands to include the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, European Champions League and Mexican Liga MX. 'The question is, are we early? Are we on time?' MLS commissioner Don Garber said at a recent leadership conference in London. 'And time will tell. History will judge it.'

MLS leaders remain committed to the partnership. Gary Stevenson, MLS Deputy Commissioner, said in a recent interview that both parties are very happy with the product that has been delivered to the fans, who have responded very well. Of course, both parties recognize that there is always room for improvement and that there is a lot of work to be done together.

It's good that streaming platforms are getting more and more interested in sports. It will take some time to change the habits of the fans and bring them to the streaming market instead of the traditional cable TV they have been used to for years. But that day will come sooner rather than later, it's pretty much inevitable.

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