The Major League Soccer-Apple TV rights deal is reportedly set to expire three years ahead of schedule.
Major League Soccer’s media rights deal with Apple TV is now set to run through 2029 after Apple agreed to waive its contractual right to opt-out after the 2027 season and the sides shortened the original length of the contract from ten to seven years, according to Eben Novy-Williams and Jacob Feldman of Sportico.
The deal was originally set to run through 2032, unless Apple exercised its option to terminate the deal. The change in terms does not rule out the possibility of an extension.
MLS commissioner Don Garber previously told reporters Thursday that the rights deal had been modified following the decision to shutter Apple’s MLS Season Pass subscription service, though he offered no details except to say the changes were “very positive” for the league. MLS Season Pass was a key component of the originally ten-year agreement, with MLS set to receive half of all subscription revenue beyond an undisclosed threshold.
Under the revised terms, Major League Soccer will earn about $50 million more through 2029 than under the current deal, per Sportico. In addition to paying its annual rights fee for the full remaining seasons on the deal, Apple is also set to pay MLS more than $100 million for the league’s ‘sprint season’ in 2027 — a mini-season during the extended hiatus created by the league’s transition to a fall-to-spring calendar, which owners voted to approve on Thursday.
That mini-season will include playoffs and an MLS Cup.
The suite of changes announced and reported over the past 48 hours have seemingly left MLS in stronger position. The changes to the media rights deal provide both certainty and flexibility, eliminating any chance of MLS having to scramble as Major League Baseball did when ESPN opted out of its deal in February, while also giving the league a chance to return to the negotiating table while the industry is still in semi-recognizable form.
It might go without saying that discontinuing MLS Season Pass has the benefit of increasing access to matches. And the schedule shift has the benefit of reducing conflict with international events — and moving the MLS Cup away from football season.
