MLS Season Pass, which is operated in collaboration with Apple, Inc. under a 10-year deal with the league worth a reported $2.5 million, has reportedly surpassed 2 million subscribers by the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. The metric includes paid annual subscribers and paid monthly subscribers, along with complimentary MLS club season-ticket holder accounts who utilized promotional offers to sign up for the service. News of the subscription metric was first reported by Alex Silverman of Sports Business Journal, citing two sources with knowledge regarding these numbers.
Prior to Inter Miami CF signing global superstar Lionel Messi to their team, who ended up playing the second half of the regular season, the service reportedly had under 1 million subscribers. As part of his deal to play in MLS, Messi receives a percentage of the revenue from the international subscriptions garnered by Apple. Within the larger contract for the streaming service itself, MLS can earn additional revenue if subscriptions pass a threshold that is publicly unknown. Earlier in the week, MLS Commissioner Don Garber told Sports Business Journal that there is no timetable on when the league will hit that threshold, which would grant the league 50 cents of every dollar in the ensuing subscription-based revenue.
Both MLS and Apple are attempting to renew subscribers for the upcoming MLS season, which commences on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The annual subscription costs $99 for those who are not subscribed to Apple TV+, while Apple TV+ users receive a $20 discount on that price. Apple currently charges 9.99 per month for the service, which also includes a seven-day free trial.
On Thursday, MLS revealed that there will be more than 80 broadcasters and soccer legends contributing to the second year of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The service will have its live whiparound show, MLS 360, as part of its coverage with new host Kevin Egan. Pregame and postgame content will be led by Liam McHugh and Andrew Wiebe and contain a variety of former MLS players providing their analysis and expertise. Steve Cangialosi, Jake Zivin, Pablo Ramírez, Taylor Twellman and Diego Valeri are among the personalities returning to the airwaves this year.
New play-by-play announcers consist of Nate Bukaty, Neil Sika and Joe Tolleson in English, along with Jesús Acosta and John Laguna in Spanish. Match analysts joining the platform will include Jalil Anibaba, Warren Barton, Jesús Bracamontes and Daniel Chapela. MLS Season Pass is available through the Apple TV application and can be viewed on the new Apple Vision Pro, which features a virtual environment and spatial audio.
