The Real Reason MLS Is Changing Its Apple TV Deal…A Turning Point for MLS

Major League Soccer just announced two massive, long-anticipated changes — a calendar overhaul and the early end of its exclusive media deal with Apple TV. Both moves could reshape the league’s competitive standing and determine the legacy of Commissioner Don Garber as North America prepares to host the 2026 World Cup.

Publicly, the Apple–MLS breakup has been framed as a mutual strategic pivot. But a deeper look at the numbers and incentives tells a different story.

MLS’s New Strategy: Two Big Shifts

1. The League Is Switching to a Summer-to-Spring Calendar

Starting soon, MLS will align its schedule with the global soccer world. That means:

• Transfer windows will sync with Europe
• Star players will miss fewer matches due to FIFA dates
• Clubs can pursue summer signings without midseason disruption
• The MLS Cup will no longer collide with the NFL or college football

This change only touches about 10% of the season—but strategically, it’s huge. It positions MLS to participate fully in the global player market instead of fighting against it.

➡️ Continue reading: Why MLS Is Changing Its Calendar in 2027 (Key Dates & Impacts) you should know!

2. Apple TV Is Exiting Its MLS Deal Three Years Early

The bigger news: Apple and MLS have renegotiated their 10-year, $2.5B rights agreement.

The revised terms:

• Apple ends exclusivity in 2029 instead of 2032
• MLS Season Pass disappears after 2025
• All MLS content is unlocked for standard Apple TV subscribers
• Apple pays MLS an additional $50M between 2026–2029

On the surface, that sounds like a win. In reality, the structure reveals that Apple wanted a controlled way out — and MLS wanted broader distribution now, not later.

Why Apple Really Walked Away Early

When the partnership was signed in 2022, Garber called it “transformational.” The idea was bold: be the first U.S. league to go all-in on streaming with a single global platform. No blackouts, no regional sports networks, no fragmentation.

But the gamble carried obvious risks:

• MLS moved from a widely accessible linear TV to a paywalled service
• Viewership transparency vanished because Apple uses internal metrics
• Growth expectations were tethered to MLS Season Pass subscriptions

Inside the industry, owners were split on the move even in 2022. Some saw the upside. Others saw a league with limited visibility, deciding to hide behind an extra paywall.

With the early termination, we now have the verdict: the strategy didn’t produce the viewership or revenue that Apple (or MLS) had projected.

The Viewership Problem Apple Couldn’t Ignore

The league has shared bits and pieces of data over the past two years:

• Garber said MLS averaged 120,000 viewers per match
• MLS promoted 3.7 million “gross live viewers per week”, globally
• Reports suggested MLS Season Pass passed 2M subscribers, boosted by Messi

But these numbers were:

• Not standardised (Apple avoided Nielsen)
• Globally blended, not U.S.-only
• Inflated by Messi’s outsized appeal
• Not necessarily paid subscribers (T-Mobile + season-ticket holders got MLS for free)

Worse, traditional linear events like MLS Cup suffered sharp ratings drops — as much as 50% compared to pre-Apple years.

If the deal were thriving:

• Apple wouldn’t sacrifice higher ARPU by eliminating Season Pass
• MLS wouldn’t surrender its revenue-sharing upside
• Apple wouldn’t be paying $50M in exchange for reduced long-term liability
• The contract wouldn’t be ending three years early

This is not what success looks like. This is Apple cutting losses — gracefully.

Why MLS Took the Deal Anyway

Because MLS’s business model quietly needed a reset.

For nearly 20 years, the league relied heavily on:

➤ Expansion fees

MLS ballooned from 10 teams in 2004 to 30 today.

• Toronto FC paid $10M in 2005
• Charlotte FC paid $325M in 2019
• San Diego paid $500M in 2023

Expansion covered operating losses for many ownership groups. But a system built on new teams joining is not sustainable forever, and MLS is now essentially maxed out.

➤ Tightly managed cost control

The salary cap ensures stable financials, but it also limits competitiveness and limits the league’s ability to attract global stars without special exceptions like DP slots.

➤ Expectations that streaming would unlock new growth

The Apple deal was supposed to be the spark. Instead, the spark fizzled.

MLS had to pivot, and pivot quickly.

So… Is This Bad for MLS? Or Is It a Lifeline

Actually, both.

The Bad

• Apple didn’t see the return it wanted
• Season Pass failed to scale
• MLS will have to rebuild credibility with future media partners
• Don Garber faces enormous pressure heading into the World Cup

The Good

• Distribution immediately improves: no extra paywall
• MLS gets more guaranteed money over the next four years
• Apple still has a post-2029 extension option — critical leverage
• MLS has a clearer pathway to ride the World Cup momentum
• The new calendar aligns the league with the global market

This is fundamentally a reset — not a collapse.

The Next Four Years Determine the League’s Future

Between 2026 and 2029, everything is on the table:

• Can MLS capitalise on the World Cup’s attention surge?
• Will the new global-aligned calendar drive better signings and higher-quality play?
• Can broader Apple TV distribution translate into actual fan growth?
• Will advertisers and sponsors return as visibility increases?
• Will the league renegotiate a richer media deal in 2029?

For Don Garber, this is the phase that will define his legacy. The Apple deal was billed as visionary; the early exit could make it look premature — unless MLS turns this reset into a breakout moment.

Bottom Line: Apple Leaving Early Is a Warning Shot — But Also an Opportunity

MLS is course-correcting. Apple is hedging. Fans are getting easier access. And the league now has four years to prove it belongs in the top tier of North American sports.

By the end of the decade, we will know whether MLS successfully transformed — or simply delayed a deeper structural reckoning.

🇺🇸 Stay in the loop: Get all the latest Sports News U.S.A., with fresh updates, breaking stories, and must-know trends every single day.