- MLS to receive additional US$50m in renegotiation
- League switches to winter schedule in 2027
- Apple can still renew if it wishes
Major League Soccer (MLS) and Apple have agreed to end their ten-year US$2.5 billion global streaming deal after the conclusion of the 2028/29 season – three and a half years early.
The revised payment schedule will see Apple pay US$200 million for the 2026 season and then US$107.5 million for the transitional five-month season between February and May 2027 that will bridge the gap until the league switches to a winter calendar for 2026/27.
Apple will then pay US$275 million for the 2027/28 and 2028/89 campaigns, meaning MLS will receive US$50 million more over the same period than it would have done had the contract not been shortened.
The news comes days after Apple ditched the ‘Season Pass’ add-on required to watch live games. Instead, every match from the competition will be part of a standard Apple TV subscription as part of a growing live sport portfolio that also includes Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Friday Night Baseball and Formula One in the US.
Studio shows and digital features that were previously part of MLS Season Pass will also make the transition while club season ticket holders, who were previously given complimentary access to the add-on, will now receive an Apple TV subscription.
MLS and Apple say the move will make it easier for viewers to find MLS games and take advantage of any rising interest in soccer in North America following the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
MLS’s move to a winter season was also confirmed last week. Currently, the league begins in spring and concludes in autumn, with the majority of games taking place in the summer months – avoiding cold weather in Canada and northern states whilst reducing competition with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL).
However, starting in 2027, MLS will adopt a summer to spring format that will integrate its clubs more closely with the global soccer ecosystem, reducing clashes between club and international fixtures and making it easier to conduct transfers.
Scheduling the season-ending play-offs for May will also reduce competition from the National Football League (NHL) and college football, whilst still ensuring they avoid the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Finals in June. A winter break would help mitigate the impact of cold weather during the regular season.
The transitional 14-game regular season, followed by play-offs will be held in early 2027, however this must be planned in consultation with the players’ union.
