Yesterday Apple announced that all MLS matches would start being included in an Apple TV subscription at no additional cost. Today, a new report outlines some other changes that are taking effect in Apple’s MLS deal, including a much earlier end date of 2029.
Apple-MLS deal undergoing several changes amid Apple TV announcement
Eben Novy-Williams and Jacob Feldman write at Sportico:
Major League Soccer’s streaming partnership with Apple will now end three-and-a-half years earlier than the original decade-long term, according to multiple people familiar with the details. The revisions come alongside MLS’ decision to move to Apple TV in 2026 and to flip its league calendar the following year.
MLS will be paid $200 million for its 2026 season, the last under the current calendar, then $107.5 million for the shortened “sprint” campaign in 2027, according to someone familiar with the details. It will then be paid $275 million each for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons, said the person, who was granted anonymity because the details are private. MLS ownership was briefed on the new deal at league meetings in Florida on Thursday.
Apple’s MLS partnership was originally planned to run from 2023-2032, but now it’s set to end in 2029.
The deal reportedly comes with other changes too, beyond the shortened end date:
- Apple has apparently given up its option to terminate the deal after the 2027 season
- The previous deal backloaded some of the highest payments, so the new terms “represent a roughly $50 million increase over what MLS would have been paid through June 2029 under the prior deal”
Sportico points out that MLS could still end up signing a new deal with Apple later, but this provides both organizations more flexibility.
Particularly with the 2026 World Cup being played in the US, Mexico, and Canada, it’s expected there could be higher North American interest in the MLS after that. Then, MLS can weigh its options for the future with more data.
9to5Mac’s Take
There’s clearly a lot in flux with Apple and the MLS’s partnership—and ultimately, I think, in good ways. The move to discontinue MLS Season Pass and offer all MLS matches free to Apple TV subscribers should serve to boost viewership. Changing up the annual schedule might help too.
But it seems that along with these major changes, Apple and MLS both want the option of parting ways if things don’t turn out well. In any case, with how often the TV streaming landscape seems to change, 2029 still feels a long ways away.
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