Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) scores a goal during the first half against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.
Major League Soccer is stepping onto a bigger stage next year, when all of its matches will find a new home on Apple TV.
Beginning in the 2026 season, MLS games will be available on Apple' s flagship streaming platform, which currently includes Major League Baseball games as well as scripted series like "Severance."
The move marks a big shift for both the league and Apple's media strategy, as the tech giant will end Season Pass — the separate subscription service for MLS games provided by Apple.
Apple and MLS had inked a 10-year media rights deal in 2022 that saw Apple become the exclusive global home to the U.S. professional soccer league. However, rather than feature matches on the fledgling streaming service, Apple instead launched Season Pass for an additional subscription solely for MLS games.
"This idea that you could watch all of our matches in one place with a push of the button globally was unprecedented. We really, really liked that concept with Season Pass, and it worked because people reacted really well to the product," MLS Deputy Commissioner Gary Stevenson said in an interview.
Season Pass — which costs $14.99 a month, compared to the $12.99 charged for the separate monthly Apple TV subscription — kicked off in 2023. Apple doesn't provide subscriber metrics for its streaming services.
Stevenson said that conversations about moving the league to Apple TV started as Apple's main streaming platform grew.
"They came to us and said, 'Let's put it on Apple TV,' and we said, 'We're all in,'" said Stevenson. "So this was good news for us."
While Stevenson didn't go into specifics, some terms of the deal changed as part of the move to Apple TV.
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