Ahead of the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday night, commissioner Don Garber offered up a rare insight into how the league’s viewership is faring on Apple TV+.
According to a report by Alex Silverman in Sports Business Journal, Apple TV+’s MLS Season Pass is averaging 120,000 unique viewers. While Silverman reports this is a “per match” figure, Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch reports that it is not clear whether the number is an indication of the average minute audience each match is receiving (which would be comparable to typical Nielsen viewership measurements) or if this is a figure for each match window on MLS Season Pass (i.e. a measurement of viewership across all MLS matches airing at, say, 7 p.m. ET on a given night).
Per Garber, the 120,000 viewer figure represents a 50% increase versus last year, though again, it’s unclear exactly what measurement MLS is going by.
Apple and MLS have made a concerted effort to make League Pass games more accessible for viewers this season. The league and streamer have struck a number of deals with traditional pay TV providers, including Comcast and DirecTV, to integrate MLS games into the channel guide on those platforms. The league has also re-upped a deal with T-Mobile to offer MLS Season Pass subscriptions for the cell phone provider’s customers. Additionally, MLS has made its new Sunday Night Soccer package available for free to Xfinity customers.
Garber has been hit with plenty of incoming over lack of viewership transparency since MLS began its deal with Apple TV+ in 2023. The commissioner has typically deflected, blaming Apple for not being forthcoming with the data.
Assuming the figures Garber cited to reporters are, in fact, the average minute audience, the viewership figures still do not hold a candle to the league’s previous linear TV deals. Per Lewis, ESPN averaged 343,000 viewers for MLS matches during the 2022 season, the last in which the league aired outside of the Apple TV+ platform.
One has to imagine the 120,000 viewers figure also includes international viewers, as MLS Season Pass serves a global audience. The linear TV figures measured by Nielsen only include the American audience.
MLS has been reached for comment and clarification regarding the exact parameters of Garber’s remarks.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.