On Wednesday, Apple and MLS officially announced the launch of MLS Season Pass, the all-encompassing MLS broadcast package rising out of the league’s ten-year, $2.5 billion deal with Apple.
Per a release from Apple, the service will cost $14.99 per month or $99 per season, with Apple TV+ subscribers getting it at a discounted $12.99 per month or $79 per season.
The service will include every MLS match, every Leagues Cup match, and “hundreds” of MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches each season. Subscriptions will also be included in MLS full season ticket packages.
Here are some more details about the MLS schedule and what viewers can expect going forward.
Fans will be able to watch MLS matches featuring English and Spanish broadcast crews, and they can easily listen to a club’s home radio broadcast on the Apple TV app. All matches involving Canadian teams will be available in French. Matches will take place primarily on Saturdays and Wednesdays, with a few matches held on Sundays. For most matches, the start time will be 7:30 p.m. local time, with pregame coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. A few matches each week may air at other times.
MLS Season Pass will provide fans with in-depth coverage of their favorite clubs every week throughout the season, starting with previews of each upcoming match. On match day, fans will have the ability to watch any match from the start, no matter when they tune in. After the final whistle, fans can watch match replays, highlight packages, and more so they can catch up on anything they missed on and off the pitch.
The pricing here is comparable to other services like MLB.TV and NBA League Pass, but the pricing has to be a tough pill to swallow, given how much cheaper the MLS out of market package was on ESPN+ recently.
Anyway, at least MLS fans have some clarity going forward on the Apple package.
[Apple]
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.