Apple dabbled in live sports last year with weekly Major League Baseball games, but it is now launching its most ambitious offering yet.
Today, the company introduces the MLS Season Pass, a subscription that provides soccer fans with access to every game of the 2023 season, the Leagues Cup, and both MLS Next Pro and MLS Next matches — with no blackouts.
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While you can sign up today and begin watching archived content, the first games will begin on February 25th.
MLS Season Pass will be available to stream via the Apple TV app on a variety of Apple devices, including game consoles, streaming devices, set-top boxes, smart TVs, and the web.
You’ll be able to access the subscription from anywhere you find that piece of software. The streaming subscription costs $15 per month or $99 for the entire season. If you have Apple TV+, you can get discounted rates of $13/month or $79/season.
Furthermore, season ticket holders for an MLS club will receive an all-inclusive streaming subscription for free. Apple’s partnership with MLS is part of a 10-year agreement, so the US league’s games aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
If you’re not sure whether you want to commit just yet, “the majority” of the on-demand content that’s already streaming is free. More importantly, Apple will offer every game for free on the first weekend, followed by weekly free games.
This on-demand library includes archived matches dating back to 2019, documentary-style stories, the best moments from the previous season, and curated highlights.
Each team has a club page that includes highlights, schedule information, and archived games. Once you’ve chosen which team(s) to follow, match reminders will appear in the Apple TV app’s Up Next section.
You’ll have access to game previews and other team-specific content as the season approaches. Updates will appear on your iPhone lock screen via Live Activities during matches.
Surprisingly, Apple will include radio broadcasts in its streaming service. If you dislike the broadcast team or would rather listen to your favourite club’s radio crew, you can select that alternate audio.
If you choose it, the company promises that the sound will sync up with the live action, making it a true replacement. One of the most important aspects that Apple has yet to reveal is streaming quality.
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According to the company, the “full production plan” will be announced ahead of the season’s start, which should include that information.
Apple’s weekly MLB games were streamed in 1080p at 60 frames per second, but since MLS Season Pass is a much larger effort that includes literally every match, perhaps the company will surprise us and upgrade to 4K.
