MLS going all-digital with 10-year Apple deal

[blueandgoldguy]

How good is Messi at this point? Still a top-5 - top-10 player in the world? top-20?

 

[Golden_Jet]

How good is Messi at this point? Still a top-5 - top-10 player in the world? top-20?

Ya, he’ll be 36 in 2 weeks.

 

[PCSPounder]

I think of it this way… Carlos Valderrama turned a ripe old age before retiring from MLS and was mostly successful because he could own games from the center circle.

That’s not Messi’s game, but I argue most MLS teams have defensive issues. He’ll get a couple good seasons.

Don’t see people noting the main issue with the MLS Apple package, besides being a few years away from when subscriptions might ramp up. The vast majority of games are 7:30 pm local time. The average MLS fan is either already on his or her way to the first pint at the pub or are doing post-func, so MLS fans going to games aren’t afforded the chance to watch other games. If Apple are as concerned about viewership as they are about subscription numbers, they’ll need to sacrifice 360 and try to hook the fans first.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

This going to drastically increase international viewers. Great they have it all in one place for interested to viewers to find. Not sure though how affordable the pricing is in other countries for MLS Season Pass.

Here in Argentina exen after taxes and our issues with the dollar is still cheap compared to most stuff

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

MLS nearing Apple's subscription threshold to share revenue, per report

According to a new report, MLS and Apple are about to close in on an important marker on the road to Season Pass success.

awfulannouncing.com

“MLS sources confirmed the league is nearing Apple’s required subscription threshold that kick-starts an agreement for the company to share subscription revenue with MLS,” wrote Evans. “The league’s players, per terms of the new CBA, would also receive 12.5% of the increase in media revenue this year if the amount exceeds $100 million of the 2022 media compensation, which was about $65 million when excluding fees paid to the USMNT.”

 

[Reaser]

MLS nearing Apple's subscription threshold to share revenue, per report

According to a new report, MLS and Apple are about to close in on an important marker on the road to Season Pass success.

awfulannouncing.com

“MLS sources confirmed the league is nearing Apple’s required subscription threshold that kick-starts an agreement for the company to share subscription revenue with MLS,” wrote Evans. “The league’s players, per terms of the new CBA, would also receive 12.5% of the increase in media revenue this year if the amount exceeds $100 million of the 2022 media compensation, which was about $65 million when excluding fees paid to the USMNT.”

I wish one of these media outlets would do a deep dive into it. Always surface -- e.g. the opt-out clause they used for headlines even though there was roughly a 0% chance Apple would opt-out less than a year into the deal, or even after only a year, or two, etc.

Such as, do the subscriptions that MLS essentially paid for (STH's for example) count towards the threshold? Important question. I suspect they do. As Apple wouldn't care where the subscription is coming from.

Which would make it a bit circular. As in, Apple pays MLS for rights, MLS pays Apple for a huge chunk of their 'subscriptions' to MLS Season Pass, if/when subscription threshold is passed, Apple shares with MLS w/bonus of positive headlines. Basically shuffling money back-and-forth between eachother (insert MLS haters "it's a front!") ...

Positive/negative, the reporting on the Apple/MLS deal continues to be surface level for-headlines that doesn't really break anything down tangibly.

Of course, could have been a ton of new subs when Messi was announced. But that also goes both ways, could be what really happened or could be the story they sell next round of articles instead of talking about where these subscriptions are actually really coming from.

FWIW: I got the free subscription before the season from a friend w/T-Mobile (does that count as a sub?)

Since then, I've got e-mails for free month from Apple -- who is paying for that, does it count as [short-term] sub?

Just the other day I turned on my LG TV and it was offering 2 free months of MLS Season Pass -- who is paying for that, does it count as [short-term] sub?

And I'm forgetting another one where there was another offer for free.

And this is all excluding the season ticket holders who got it for free -- the people most likely to purchase the package.

 

[eddygee]

I wish one of these media outlets would do a deep dive into it. Always surface -- e.g. the opt-out clause they used for headlines even though there was roughly a 0% chance Apple would opt-out less than a year into the deal, or even after only a year, or two, etc.

Such as, do the subscriptions that MLS essentially paid for (STH's for example) count towards the threshold? Important question. I suspect they do. As Apple wouldn't care where the subscription is coming from.

Which would make it a bit circular. As in, Apple pays MLS for rights, MLS pays Apple for a huge chunk of their 'subscriptions' to MLS Season Pass, if/when subscription threshold is passed, Apple shares with MLS w/bonus of positive headlines. Basically shuffling money back-and-forth between eachother (insert MLS haters "it's a front!") ...

Positive/negative, the reporting on the Apple/MLS deal continues to be surface level for-headlines that doesn't really break anything down tangibly.

Of course, could have been a ton of new subs when Messi was announced. But that also goes both ways, could be what really happened or could be the story they sell next round of articles instead of talking about where these subscriptions are actually really coming from.

FWIW: I got the free subscription before the season from a friend w/T-Mobile (does that count as a sub?)

Since then, I've got e-mails for free month from Apple -- who is paying for that, does it count as [short-term] sub?

Just the other day I turned on my LG TV and it was offering 2 free months of MLS Season Pass -- who is paying for that, does it count as [short-term] sub?

And I'm forgetting another one where there was another offer for free.

And this is all excluding the season ticket holders who got it for free -- the people most likely to purchase the package.

Good question as I've heard it explain Tmobile pays Apple/MLS a fee for getting the right to use their property for a promotion to buy a phone and pay a monthly bill for that phone. Same way Tmobile pays MLB for their MLB package which they T-Mobile have promoted the MLS package the sane way they did MLB with Tmobile Tuesday we give you more advertising.

Only different is T-Mobile is likely paying Apple vs MLS. The STH are not free as many STH have complained about the sleight of hand trick. Prices increase renewals covered that "free giveaway". Don't want to go to deep in it bit it's a mess have had fellow DC United fans that are STH complain they feel ripped off as their MLS Season Pass subscriptions don't work or are limited or null due to Season Ticket group packages. $$Apple

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Messi's debut draws top single-network MLS audience since 2004

Lionel Messi's Miami debut scored in the ratings like few MLS matches ever have, scoring the league's top single-network audience since 2004.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

Friday’s Leagues Cup match between Inter Miami of MLS and Cruz Azul of Liga MX, which featured the Miami debut of Lionel Messi, averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.75 million viewers on Univision — the largest single-network MLS audience since Freddy Adu’s 2004 debut on ABC (1.97M). Figures include pre-match coverage. English-language coverage aired on Apple TV, which is not Nielsen-rated.

I can tell that here in Argentina we were mostly watching from non Apple TV streams not sure in the rest of the world.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I think of it this way… Carlos Valderrama turned a ripe old age before retiring from MLS and was mostly successful because he could own games from the center circle.

That’s not Messi’s game, but I argue most MLS teams have defensive issues. He’ll get a couple good seasons.

Don’t see people noting the main issue with the MLS Apple package, besides being a few years away from when subscriptions might ramp up. The vast majority of games are 7:30 pm local time. The average MLS fan is either already on his or her way to the first pint at the pub or are doing post-func, so MLS fans going to games aren’t afforded the chance to watch other games. If Apple are as concerned about viewership as they are about subscription numbers, they’ll need to sacrifice 360 and try to hook the fans first.

I got the package free from T-Mobile but would never pay for it with almost all the games on Saturday nights, since I'm almost never home in the summer.

I think making Sundays the primary gameday would be better from a TV viewership perspective, although they would probably make those going to games very unhappy.

 

[DaveG]

I got the package free from T-Mobile but would never pay for it with almost all the games on Saturday nights, since I'm almost never home in the summer.

I think making Sundays the primary gameday would be better from a TV viewership perspective, although they would probably make those going to games very unhappy.

Honestly Saturday night doesn't bother me at all from a game time standpoint, but the bigger matter to me is that basically EVERY game is on Saturday night, all at 7:30 local time as starts. Some 1/1:30 and 4/4:30 start times would be nice to mix it up a bit, even though those games can be oppressively hot down here.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Intresting

 

[varsaku]

 

[Golden_Jet]

Maybe some of us will see MLS in 10 years, when Appe deal is over.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Messi's debut draws top single-network MLS audience since 2004

Lionel Messi's Miami debut scored in the ratings like few MLS matches ever have, scoring the league's top single-network audience since 2004.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

Friday’s Leagues Cup match between Inter Miami of MLS and Cruz Azul of Liga MX, which featured the Miami debut of Lionel Messi, averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.75 million viewers on Univision — the largest single-network MLS audience since Freddy Adu’s 2004 debut on ABC (1.97M). Figures include pre-match coverage. English-language coverage aired on Apple TV, which is not Nielsen-rated.

I can tell that here in Argentina we were mostly watching from non Apple TV streams not sure in the rest of the world.

Wow there's a hockey fan in Argentina, or did you move there ?

Either way, it's neat in my books.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Wow there's a hockey fan in Argentina, or did you move there ?

Either way, it's neat in my books.

I live in Argentina and simply became a fan of the Rangers due to being a Knicks fan and well last couple of years were much easier to watch the games since we have a similar things to ESPN+ and not just highlights or the scores on social media.

 

[varsaku]

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Tim Cook
We're focused on original content, as you know, with TV+. And so we're all about giving great storytellers the venue to tell great stories and hopefully get us all to think a little deeper. And sport is a part of that because sport is the ultimate original story. And for MLS, we're -- we could not be happier with how the partnership is going. It's clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit. And so we're very excited about it.

MLS Season Pass came up on the Apple earnings call.