1 week ago
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The times, they are a-changin' for Major League Soccer. After two days of colossal changes, the top football league in the United States has added a third.
According to Sportico, MLS will be ending its controversial streaming deal with Apple four years earlier than expected.
Reports indicate the league will be bought out early from its current deal - which was set to last until 2033. Now, the league's deal will end at the conclusion of the 2028-29 season.
This announcement comes one day after MLS announced a massive overhaul of its current league calendar - moving toward a more traditional fall-to-spring calendar to align more closely with the European football schedule.
It also comes a day after Apple revealed it would be ending the 'MLS Season Pass' add-on to its Apple TV+ streaming service - a move that now removes the secondary paywall to watch all league matches.
To explain today's news, it's important to understand what happened the last two days.
Previously, in order to watch games on Apple, MLS fans would require both an Apple TV+ subscription in addition to an MLS Season Pass subscription.
While the Apple TV+ subscription ran you $12.99 a month, the Season Pass cost an additional $14.99 per month - or came at an $80 per year pricetag.
But as of yesterday, the league and the streamer are set to remove the secondary paywall. Starting next year, all that will be required is an Apple TV+ subscription to access every match the league plays.
Subscription numbers to the Season Pass were more locked down than Fort Knox - with neither MLS commissioner Don Garber or Apple CEO Tim Cook ever revealing the figures.
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