Apple Launches Major League Soccer MLS Season Pass Streaming Service: The Hollywood Reporter

In his most ambitious live push yet sports but, technology giant apple officially launched his Major League on Wednesday football subscription service, called MLS Season Pass.

The new service will be available in 100 countries at launch and will be the exclusive home of MLS games until 2033, thanks to a 10-year deal valued at around $250 million per year.

While Apple has explored the sports space before (most notably with its Friday Night Major League Baseball games last season), the MLS deal is on a different level, with exclusive global rights to to hundreds of matches.

With the NBA looking for a digital partner for its upcoming rights talks, and the NFL keeping a close eye on the space as it evolves, the MLS service is seen as an indicator of its ambitions in the sector

For MLS, the deal also gives it real estate and promotional capabilities from one of the most powerful companies in the world.

“For Apple to come in and literally open the book and say, ‘okay, how can we improve the consumer experience?'” They immediately looked at the calendar and said, ‘okay, let’s fix this,'” he explains former New England Revolution star Taylor Twellman, who will be a match analyst for the MLS Season Pass. The Hollywood Reporter.

With all games in one place, Apple and MLS changed the schedule to have all games streamed on Saturday nights (and some on Wednesday nights) throughout the season to drive consistency.

“It’s difficult to quantify because the league has never had it. We’ve never had this in the United States in 27 years where the league can now be treated literally the same way every other league in the world is treated,” Twellman added. “I think when you put it all together, Roma didn’t go away build not even a day, but I think as this year evolves, you’re going to start to see some of that growth, and I think people are going to be really excited. and I think new fans will come because finally the league is being treated differently.”

And that scale will be represented in Apple’s user experience, both in the TV app and in other apps like Apple News, Apple Music, and even Apple Maps. The company is looking for a “seamless” experience for its soccer product, says a person familiar with the plans.

In the Apple TV app, MLS games and content will be front and center when live, with a simple click to subscribe to the premium service. In Apple News, a sports dashboard will allow users to follow their favorite teams, including MLS teams. A single click on the news app can take users directly to a live game. Even Apple Maps will add details to MLS stadiums across the country, making them more visible within the larger map and integrating more team information.

Apple will offer 6 free games per week Apple TV+ users, with all games (including the playoffs) included in the premium service, which will be streamed to the Apple TV app and priced at $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year ($12.99 and 79, $99 for existing Apple TV+ subscribers).

Additionally, the entire slate of opening weekend games will be available for free. The games will also be broadcast locally on Fox TV stations, but Apple will have all the games without blackout restrictions.

The service will be closely watched by people in the sports space, both on the technical side (can Apple deliver the many high-definition simultaneous streams and a quality UX?) and on the production side (can the studio and game broadcasters, who will do it). be in place this season, offer a product of the same quality as other domestic leagues?).

And if it works, don’t be surprised if Apple and other leagues bring similar projects in the future.