For a long time, Major League Soccer had a tough time keeping steady national viewership with the usual fragmented broadcast setup in the U.S. From 2015 to 2022, MLS games were all over the place, airing on ESPN, FS1, Fox, ABC, Univision, UniMas, and various regional sports networks. This really left fans scratching their heads about where to catch the action. Even during the MLS Cup finals, live ratings took a hit—890,000 viewers in 2023 was a big drop compared to previous years—while other sports events pulled in millions more. It’s interesting to see how things have changed lately.
By mid-2023, traditional TV usage fell below 50% of total viewing. Plus, live sports are now scattered across different platforms, which makes it tough for casual fans to keep up with everything. Because of this, MLS often struggled to break into the mainstream sports scene like the NFL did. It’s interesting how the confusion about where and how to catch MLS games really stands out compared to the straightforward experience that NFL fans are used to.
The NFL’s broadcasting rights are spread out among CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC, Amazon Prime, Peacock, NFL Sunday Ticket, and a few others. Still, most fans know exactly where to tune in or which subscription to grab to catch the game. That system might be a bit complicated, but it definitely provides clear national primetime slots and some serious promotional power.
On the other hand, MLS had some ups and downs with national exposure, and the way it was presented was a bit all over the place, which hurt its visibility and made it tough to draw in casual viewers or get people to tune in regularly. So, Apple jumped in with a ten-year MLS broadcast deal that started in 2023, and it really changed how people see the league, as noted on their official website. With this agreement, the Apple TV app became the go-to place for all live MLS matches. That means anyone can catch every regular season game, playoffs, Leagues Cup, and even some youth matches—all in one spot, without worrying about regional blackouts or having to jump between different platforms.
In a groundbreaking step that MLS and Apple called a first for any professional league in the U.S., this deal brings all MLS content together on one platform. It also rolled out cool features like live whip-around highlight shows, replays, analysis, and original programming. A fan can access the stream from anywhere in the world, whether they’re on a smart TV, console, or mobile device. This really helped MLS connect with more fans than ever! This Apple-enabled streaming revolution really tackled the fragmentation and visibility issues that NFL viewership has struggled with for a long time.
Players of MLS, Fussball Herren, USA celebrate a goal during a in a friendly match between MLS All Stars and Liga MX All Stars at the Q2 stadium in Austin, United States, 23 July 2025. All-Star Game: MLS All Star vs. Stars Liga MX ACHTUNG: NUR REDAKTIONELLE NUTZUNG PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCarlosxRamírezx AMDEP9079 0827044603st
MLS really simplified the viewing experience, making it super easy for everyone—even those who aren’t die-hard fans—to find out where and how to catch every match. The NFL’s extensive media rights can bring in a lot of money, but they still mean you might need several subscriptions or cable packages to catch all the action. MLS has rolled out a complete viewing experience that’s a lot more streamlined compared to how the NFL does things. So, the MLS Cup broadcast ratings on Fox took a hit this year, with just 468,000 viewers tuning in on linear TV in 2024, down from 890,000 in 2023. A big part of that drop seems to be fans moving over to Apple TV+ and the MLS Season Pass.
Apple’s “Sunday Night Soccer” is making its debut in early 2025, and it’s set to create a regular high-profile spot that goes head-to-head with NFL Sunday Night Football. This move is really boosting the league’s visibility. MLS has really taken on the challenge of media fragmentation, making it easier for fans to watch. It’s something the NFL, even with all its popularity, hasn’t quite nailed down yet. If you’re an American sports fan tired of flipping through channels and managing multiple subscriptions, MLS makes things simple: just one app, one spot, for every match. So, what was the reaction of the people around this huge deal?
The MLS deal with Apple was a big thing for the league
Back in mid-2022, MLS Commissioner Don Garber was really upbeat about the partnership with Apple when he introduced the deal. He mentioned, “Today is a historic day for our league and for our sport. As you’ll hear from Eddy, it’s a very historic day for the sports business overall as we announced just a few minutes ago a first-of-its-kind, 10-year partnership with one of the most innovative and customer-focused companies in the entire world, Apple.” Garber mentioned that the centralized production model really opened up opportunities for innovation across Apple platforms, letting MLS create new experiences that they couldn’t have achieved with other streaming services.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior VP of Services, shared his excitement about how this deal could change the game for sports broadcasting. Cue said, “The best thing that sports does – it is the greatest drama in the world. It’s unscripted, you don’t know what’s going to happen. And if we had written a drama of Messi coming to MLS, I’m sure that no one would’ve believed it, because it was so good and so much better than we could’ve even imagined.” He also pointed out how quick the platform was, sharing that club owners would text him during games with their thoughts.
During an earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared his thoughts, saying he was thrilled with the early results and added, “And for MLS, we could not be happier with how the partnership is going. It’s clearly in the early days, but we’re beating our expectation in terms of subscribers and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit. And so we’re very excited about it.” MLS and Apple teamed up to ensure that every match is accessible worldwide without any regional blackout restrictions, and it seems like they’re really hitting the mark with that.
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