Apple today announced a partnership with Major League Soccer that will see every single MLS match streamed through the Apple TV app for the next 10 years, with the deal to kick off in 2023.
Soccer fans will be able to stream every live match, with no local blackouts or restrictions of any kind. It will include access to all MLS and League Cup games, along with select MLS Next Pro and MLS Next matches.
"For the first time in the history of sports, fans will be able to access everything from a major professional sports league in one place," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services. "It's a dream come true for MLS fans, soccer fans, and anyone who loves sports. No fragmentation, no frustration -- just the flexibility to sign up for one convenient service that gives you everything MLS, anywhere and anytime you want to watch. We can't wait to make it easy for even more people to fall in love with MLS and root for their favorite club."
Apple will provide access to MLS matches through a new MLS streaming service that will be exclusively available through the ‌Apple TV‌ app. Along with all matches, it will include a weekly live match whip-around show and game replays, highlights, analysis, and in-depth behind-the-scenes views of players and clubs.
A selection of MLS and League Cup matches will be available at no additional cost to ‌Apple TV‌+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches available for free. The new MLS streaming service will be included as part of MLS full-season ticket packages.
MLS live and on-demand content on the ‌Apple TV‌ app will be available on all Apple devices, along with smart TVs from companies like Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, and Vizio. The ‌Apple TV‌ app can also be accessed on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast with Google TV, Comcast Xfinity, PlayStation, and Xbox. Customers without a device that supports the ‌Apple TV‌ app can watch on the web.
When the service launches, all MLS and Leagues Cup matches will include announcers calling the action in English and Spanish, and all matches involving Canadian teams will be available in French. Additional details on the service, such as subscription pricing, programming information, and when fans can sign up will be announced in the coming months.
Apple says that the deal is a "historic first" for a major professional sports league, and it will last through 2032. In an effort to ramp up its sports offerings, Apple has already established a deal with Major League Baseball, and rumors suggest that it is pursuing the National Football League's Sunday Ticket package.
