MLS Season Pass Elminated, Ushers In New Apple TV Era
MLS Season Pass is no more, as Major League Soccer and Apple TV announced on Thursday.
After three years of MLS Season Pass existing as an additional paid package within Apple TV (and select MVPD partners), MLS matches will be included for all Apple TV subscribers starting in 2026.
The move eliminates some of the biggest issues to-date with the Apple/MLS deal: Exposure.
While the original 10-year, $2.5 billion deal was a lucrative one for MLS, and far more than they would’ve received from any other media partner, cordoning matches off first on Apple and then behind an additional paywall had its disadvantages when it came to attracting audiences.
MLS clubs had been trying to bridge the gap this season with various local TV deals. And the league and Apple had already announced that the playoffs (currently in progress) would be available for free for existing Apple TV subscribers as a way to generate interest and viewership.
While neither party has said it, this setup with MLS included as part of Apple TV does seem to make more sense for Apple as a media partner.
The previous terms gave season ticket holders for all 30 clubs MLS Season Pass for free, but didn’t really do anything to boost tune-in for Apple’s various scripted shows or any paid subscriber numbers. MLS season ticket holders will get Apple TV for free now, potentially expanding the value of the MLS partnership — while also encouraging unsubscribed audiences to start paying for Apple TV, since they’d now get more value out of doing so.
MLS also wouldn’t be the only sports property included for those new subscribers. Formula 1 will be on Apple TV starting in 2026, and until we hear otherwise (we may), Apple still has Friday Night Baseball as well.
As mentioned in this space in October, the F1 deal really only made sense for Apple if it was going to increase — or at least adjust — its sports investment. This doesn’t add to that spend as much as it changes the math on it.
Before, it appeared the hope was to use live sports to bring audiences into the entire Apple ecosystem. Now, as Apple’s original programming gains steam and is repeatedly winning awards, Apple TV can pivot to selling the entire franchise as a worthwhile TV product: “You get acclaimed programs like Severance, and The Studio — but also live Formula 1 and MLS events!”
Making it easier for fans to watch those MLS matches also comes at a crucial time for the league.
Along with Thursday’s announcement around games being included with Apple TV, MLS also made a seismic shift in its calendar, moving the schedule to better align with FIFA’s summer-to-spring format that most global leagues follow.
A new calendar for a global league.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 13, 2025
Beginning in 2027, Major League Soccer will adopt a summer-to-spring season format — a historic evolution in the league’s competition calendar.
Details: https://t.co/YOlzd4oGDB pic.twitter.com/JYzdkKX01o
That sort of shift will take adjustments from clubs and their fans, but also more casual fans who may not be aware of the schedule change until it’s already implemented in 2027. And as that new schedule more directly competes with the NFL, college football, NHL and NBA regular seasons — not to mention the highly popular English Premier League and other international leagues as well — all parties are better off removing all barriers to entry.
Theoretically, it’s hard to know just how much air time MLS would receive with this new schedule while on more traditional TV channels. All of those sports potentially take precedent over MLS from a viewership perspective. The league could’ve been “stuck” on ESPN or Fox streaming properties (at best) anyway.
With Apple largely to themselves, though, MLS will get top billing. Now both just need to put more marketing behind it in order to make this move work for everyone involved. Next year’s World Cup is a golden opportunity to get the ball rolling there (no pun intended). But those efforts to capitalize on interest and popularity, while educating about the new schedule, need to start immediately.
