MLS faces new broadcaster and league appeal crisis as Apple TV cut ties three years early

If there was one song that could sum up the past two weeks in American soccer, it would be Bob Dylan's 1964 classic 'The Times They Are A-Changin.'

Over the course of the November international break, we've learned that MLS will cease its year-round format and switch to a spring-summer season in 2027, breaking a tradition that has remained since the league's inception three decades earlier, aligning with Europe's top leagues.

There have also been sweeping changes at the broadcasting level, with Major League Soccer and Apple TV agreeing to a revised media rights deal that will come to an end following the 2028/29 season, three and a half years earlier than expected.

MLS and Apple TV headed for early divorce

Moreover, they also agreed to eliminate the premium subscription service 'MLS Season Pass'. Starting next season, users can watch MLS with a standard Apple TV subscription, instead of needing to pay an additional $99 for the season (or $14.99 per month) in order to access MLS matches via MLS Season Pass.

MLS and Apple TV announced a ground-breaking 10-year, $2.5 billion contract in June 2022, with the deal going into effect in the 2023 season. For the first time ever, locally televised matches and regional blackouts were replaced by globally streamed matches. It didn't matter if you lived in Alaska or Alabama; you could watch any MLS match that your heart desired.

Whilst a selection of matches were available to watch with an Apple TV subscription as well as on Fox Sports, viewers were well aware that the only way to be fully guaranteed of watching every single match of the MLS and Leagues Cup season was to purchase MLS Season Pass.

With MLS adding the newly crowned World Cup winner and arguably the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi, it seemed that their investment was going to pay off handsomely.

All things considered, it seems that both MLS and Apple TV grossly overestimated the league's current standing.

Despite investing in superstars like Messi, Heung-min Son and Luis Suárez, MLS has struggled to close the gap on its rivals, both in terms of other major American sports leagues like NHL, MLB, NBA and NFL, as well as its counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic.

Amid a golden era that will see them host the Copa América, FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA World Cup, and the Summer Olympics in a four-year spell, it is undeniable that America is quickly becoming a soccer-hungry country, but that rampant passion hasn't yet translated into their domestic league.

Most American soccer fans are already shelling out a fortune for Peacock, where they can watch Premier League matches, and ESPN+, who host LaLiga and Bundesliga matches, as well as Paramount+, where they can watch Nico Cantor present every single UEFA Champions League match all at once, as well as a number of other competitions like UFC, NFL, and Serie A.

Apple TV gambled on the league's appeal being enough to draw viewers to MLS Season Pass. But in today's rapidly changing TV landscape that sees streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max package movies and shows with sports, that was never going to be enough to move the needle.

Moreover, with Apple TV allowing users to watch Friday Night Baseball and F1 (which will start in 2026) with a standalone subscription, it became clear that they couldn't enforce these double standards for a different league. It's why, after making over 200 regular season matches available to Apple TV subscribers, MLS made postseason matches in the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs available for Apple TV subscribers as well.

It's now back to the drawing board for MLS as they look to level the playing field and make it one of the most watched leagues in America. This starts with making the league more accessible and allowing users to access every single MLS match, Leagues Cup match, Campeones Cup, and MLS All-Star Game with an Apple TV subscription ($99 a year or $12.99 per month).

Apple TV will pay MLS $200 million for its 2026 season and $107.5 million for the sprint season between February and May 2027, as well as $275 million per year for the 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons. And rather than coming to an end at the end of 2032, their partnership is now set to end following the 2028/29 campaign.

The clock is now ticking for MLS as they look to improve their product and raise their value ahead of 2029, and they'll be counting on their new TV strategy to yield fruit and usher them into new era as one of the most-watched sports leagues in the nation.