Apple, MLS Unveil Pricing, Launch Date for Streaming Service

Major League Soccer’s streaming service is kicking off.

MLS Season Pass, the subscription streaming service from Apple and the league, will arrive on Feb. 1, 2023.

The new offering will cost soccer fans $14.99 per month, or $99 for the whole season. For Apple TV+ subscribers, it’ll clock in at a discounted $12.99 per month or $79 for the season.

That pricing structure puts MLS League Pass on par with sports streaming rival ESPN+, which comes in at $9.99 a month, or $99 per year. ESPN is among broadcasters still negotiating a linear rights deal with the soccer league.

Last June, Apple and MLS struck a 10-year streaming rights deal beginning in 2023. That new platform, MLS Season Pass, will be the exclusive home of every live MLS match without any local broadcast blackouts or restrictions.

“There isn’t a more perfect time to introduce MLS Season Pass, coming off the heels of the most dramatic MLS Cup in history and with MLS as the fastest-growing soccer league in the world,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s svp of services, in a statement. “We’re counting down the days to February 2023 when fans everywhere can enjoy MLS Season Pass on billions of devices—all with no blackouts.”

To help promote the partnership, all 29 MLS clubs will have an Apple TV sleeve patch in different colors, and clubs will unveil jerseys in the weeks leading up to the regular season, which kicks off Feb. 25. New expansion club St. Louis City SC revealed its jersey today ahead of the team’s inaugural season.

A subscription to MLS Season Pass will be included as part of full-season ticket packages with MLS clubs, and Apple also will make a selection of matches (including some playoff games) available for free to Apple TV+ subscribers. A “number of” matches will also be available in front of the paywall on the Apple TV app.

Apple first ventured into live sports earlier this year when Apple TV+ struck a deal with Major League Baseball for Friday Night Baseball, giving the streamer an exclusive weekly doubleheader.

The deal marks a significant shift in the streaming sports world landscape, as MLS became the first major U.S. sports league to fully bet on streaming.