Apple enters into a historic media partnership!

One of the biggest questions facing Major League Soccer (MLS) was how its media partnership would manifest in 2023 and beyond.

The answers came in on Tuesday, as MLS announced a first-of-its-kind 10-year partnership with Apple that will allow fans to stream every MLS game through the Apple TV app, without any restrictions or restrictions. local blackout. “When we started this process, we had a logo on the whiteboard, and that logo was Apple’s,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber during a virtual press conference, adding that it is “a historic day”.

A global deal, focused on streaming

The global partnership lasts until 2032 and includes all MLS and Leagues Cup matches, plus select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches. There’s no need for a traditional pay-TV package, and fans can get every MLS game live by subscribing to a new MLS streaming service, available exclusively through the Apple TV app.

A wide selection of programming will be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches available for free. Season ticket holders will also have access to the new MLS streaming service with their full season package.

This is a major step in our increasingly streaming-centric way of consuming content that taps into MLS’s young, diverse and digital audience looking to watch matches anywhere, anytime and worldwide. All it takes is internet access. The app is available on a wide variety of devices, from smartphones and computers to smart TVs and game consoles.

“We’re thinking about what’s happening with the transition of sports viewers and fan engagement from what was a traditional cable model to what has become a streaming model”said Garber. “Whether it’s entertainment or sports, fans are accessing their games in a different way than they did two or five years ago. And it will be even more spectacular in the years to come.”

Every club. Every match. Everywhere. Coming to the @AppleTV app, 2023.

Details: https://t.co/vkrUm1HzVN pic.twitter.com/jxPBI9aqMn

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 14, 2022

Centralized productions, no local television

Under the new media partnership, local broadcasts are gone and match productions are streamlined through a centralized location. Games will be produced in English and Spanish from the start, and all games involving Canadian teams will be available in French. There are also plans to introduce long-term Portuguese language broadcasts, while fans will be able to choose local radio as the audio option when watching a game. The broadcasts will include pre-match, half-time and post-match coverage.

MLS assistant commissioner and chairman Gary Stevenson says midweek games will be played on Wednesday nights and weekend games will be played on Saturday nights, allowing fans to be more predictable . They could be moved due to stadium availability or if a linear television viewing window is available; MLS is still in talks with linear networks for select broadcasts.

There will also be a looping show so fans never miss any action, something Stevenson is particularly excited about. This is in addition to content delivery through the Apple News platform and originally produced programs that are available alongside game replays, highlights and analysis.

“The show can last up to six hours, as most games start at 7 or 8 p.m., depending on what time the club wants to kick off”explains Stevenson. “But you can imagine what a Saturday night is going to be like. It’s almost like Decision Day every Saturday night where we go in and out of games and there are no more local restrictions. So the fan viewing experience is going to be very different.”

Apple’s impact on MLS

One of the central themes that Garber kept returning to was the global reach of the media partnership. It’s something Apple is also optimistic about, increasing accessibility to the league through its platform.

“We’re going to leverage everything Apple knows how to do – the experiences, the style, the approach we take to creating great products – and we’re committed to growing football with MLS,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. “We’re going to make it easy for people to fall in love with MLS and support their favorite clubs. MLS is already on an extraordinary trajectory as the fastest growing football league in the world. We think it will grow even bigger with the arrival of the World Cup [2026] in the United States, Canada and Mexico.”

Apple has already been a transformative company in so many areas of society, and now their pioneering efforts are coming to MLS via a long-term relationship. “The opportunity for us to be integrated into the Apple ecosystem was really important”Stevenson said. “You think back when Apple got into the music business, now they’re the music business. One need only think back to when Apple entered the information business just four years ago to see that it is a dominant player in this space today. So this idea and what it can do for us and for our fanbase, to build new fans and grow and engage our existing fans, is so exciting for us.”

All the details about the new streaming service, including when fans can sign up, subscription price, match schedule, broadcast teams, production upgrades and more again, will be announced in the coming months.

For now, it’s in preparation for the 2023 campaign, when the way fans engage with MLS content changes dramatically. Thanks to Apple, the 29 clubs (St. Louis CITY SC will join by expansion) will have greater reach than ever before. “We have the ability, for the first time, to take this league, which has been a North American version of the global game, and turn it into a game that can have a more global presence and an opportunity for fan connection” , Garber said.

Nicolas Depres