MLS makes smart decision to expand availability to Season Pass

Major League Soccer's 30th season begins Feb. 22 and will return to Apple TV. With no blackouts and every game available, MLS Season Pass made its debut during the 2023 season and is now expanding its availability to new customers — a shrewd move as the league looks to maximize its reach with Inter Miami star Lionel Messi's presence.

According to a news release from MLS, Apple is partnering with Comcast to offer Xfinity customers an integrated viewing experience for MLS Season Pass. In addition, DIRECTV will also carry MLS Season Pass and T-Mobile customers will receive a promotional offer for complimentary access to MLS Season Pass all season long with no blackout dates.

It's an important move for MLS as it enters its 30th season with Messi serving as the face of the league. The move to exclusively place its games on Apple TV was met with mixed reactions in 2023 and it remains that way today.

On one hand, the deal allows fans to watch every game no matter where they are, along with providing in-depth analysis and balanced coverage of the league. The negative is that it's difficult to grow an audience when hidden on a streaming service.

Proponents of the deal say the league made a pioneering move by going to a streaming option, but critics argue it may have come too early. That's something the league is mulling over.

“The question is, are we early? Are we on time?” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in October. “And time will tell. History will judge it.”

Ratings figures have been difficult to obtain since the move to Apple, but it was reported in 2023 that the league was recording 1 million viewers for its biggest matches.

However, according to Nielsen, a combined audience of only 468,000 watched the MLS Cup on Fox and Fox Deportes, a 2-1 LA Galaxy victory over the New York Red Bulls. That figure was down significantly from the 890,000 who watched the 2023 final on the same platforms.

That's a concerning drop for the league. Can it compete with a host of other sports that vie for consumers' attention? The move to expand Season Pass to additional customers — Xfinity and DIRECTV have nearly 43 million subscribers combined — is a slight course correction.

It's the right move for the league as it tries to extract every benefit of having a global icon like Messi. Now, time will tell if it leads to larger viewing numbers and increased exposure for the league.