Major League Soccer inks exclusive deal with Apple TV

 
Important details:

Contract structure
MLS execs said that Apple is not paying a straight rights fee for the package of rights. Rather, Apple is paying a minimum guarantee that sources say is worth $250M per year starting in ‘23. MLS will start to bring in more revenue as Apple sell subscriptions for a newly launched MLS subscription offering. “What's different here is traditionally media companies pay rights fees, and you sell ads,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “This is a partnership. And that partnership's core is a subscription business that we're going to build together, and we're going to get a guarantee against the revenues that will be achieved on the subscription business. Then, we go over those guarantees, we'll have the opportunity to make more money, which is really unique in sports media.”
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Content and no blackouts
...The main component of this deal, though, is a subscription service that will have every MLS game with no blackouts...
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...including ones that previously were part of national TV packages on ESPN, Fox and Univision and those that aired locally under individual club deals. The newly expanded Leagues Cup featuring every MLS and Liga MX club will also be included in the service, as will select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches.
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...Apple’s MLS deal will start next season, coinciding with a restructuring of the MLS schedule that will see most regular-season matches played on Saturday nights. Having a series of matches on Saturday nights with staggered start times will allow the league to offer a whip-around show akin to NFL Red Zone through its new streaming service and Apple TV+.
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The appeal of MLS for Apple
Survey data indicates the average MLS fan is 39.6 years old and that Generation Z and Millennials account for 58% of its fan base.
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Well, I guess I am out….I already have enough streaming services and I am not paying for (Cr)Apple just so I can watch FC…and I have watched well north of 80% of the games since April 2016…the only positive is having a majority of the games on Saturday nights….what I liked about the USL…I knew that FC was on Saturday nights…this is a big gamble for MLS…what about the 42% of us fans who aren’t millennials? How is this growing the fan base? I know eventually all media will be streaming but that is a ways off…no local broadcasts? No local flavor? Watching the national game Sunday was painful…the announcers had no idea what we are becoming or are really about…I started listening to The radio with the tv sound turned off ?…I am a big soccer fan but I rarely watch MLS games besides FC…I watch Premier and Champions League matches…
 
So, take a sport that is tough to get people to watch and move it to a pay streaming platform?

Seems like a solid model to build the game.


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
MLS doesn’t get big TV numbers at the best of times. If they can get $250m a year minimum from Apple, that’s a good deal.

Getting rid of blackouts is a good thing that I hope other leagues adopt.
 
If you think viewer numbers are low wait till (Cr)Apple takes over…only die hard fans will tune in…and what am I? A true fan pregaming with porch beers waiting for the Miami match to begin…but I have my limits…what happens when Apple sees this as a bad venture? Dumped and searching for some type of broadcast partnership…this league isn’t truly solid and entrenched…it could go sideways in a heartbeat
 
I also think the price point will be reasonable, like a $4.99 add-on per month during the season. That puts it in line with ESPN+ and NFL+ (and less than MLB.tv)
 
The MLS is actually really growing in popularity. There has always been an issue with blackouts, so in theory, this could help with that. An example is FC Cincinnati. If you don't get Star 64 locally, you often also can't stream the games on ESPN+ because it will be blacked out in your area. So technically right now, there is a larger viewership that can't have access to FCC home games if they fall in that criteria. Although Apple might be another subscription, removing the blackouts would actually open up the possibility for all of those fans to now stream the games.
 
ex_dc_atc said:
Agreed, but as I mentioned above, you also won't get blackouts now where you could with ESPN+.
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According to ESPN+, if you get the package deal with Hulu there are no local blackouts..... I have ESPN+ for NHL but enjoyed MLS on it but I guess no more of that so that would be one fan of the game that will no longer be able to watch MLS games..... that is OK, that will just mean more Premier games to watch.
 
vamp2syd said:
According to ESPN+, if you get the package deal with Hulu there are no local blackouts..... I have ESPN+ for NHL but enjoyed MLS on it but I guess no more of that so that would be one fan of the game that will no longer be able to watch MLS games..... that is OK, that will just mean more Premier games to watch.
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There is a small area of South Dayton where you can't get the local Star 64 games, but ESPN+ thinks you are local, so it's Blacked out to you. Kind of odd.
 
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