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Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

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Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#101

Post by clairity »

scarface74 wrote: post #96
clairity wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's likely a loss leader strategy to get subscription numbers up. the long term goal is to replace cable... with cable-like appletv+. they're not expanding the pie, but rather fighting to capture existing pie, particularly against netflix & amazon, who they see as more direct competitors than traditional media companies. apple likes lives sports because there's no fan base to build up, and they get to just be a dist…

Apple isn’t paying for rights to MLS to be part of AppleTV+. The exclusive deal is for the MLS to have their own “channel” that you subscribe to separately that you can only buy through the AppleTV app.

right, they want to draw people to the appletv app and entice them to subscribe to appletv+, via, for example, a tie-in with "ted lasso". in any case, they'd most certainly roll up those mls subscriptions into total subscriber numbers in any investor relations as "proof" of their strategy.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#102

Post by bitsoda »

avgDev wrote: post #26

This is probably one of the best decision by any TV provider. MLS is going to blow up in the coming years. There is a lot of talk about US national team being very competitive in 2026 World Cup. MLS has produced stars already, like Alphonso Davies. Once the hype gets higher and more money start being spent on soccer in the US, it will become a power house.

MLS will steadily grow over the next decade, of that I have no doubt. I think soccer in America has a ceiling, though. NFL and NBA will be #1 and #2 for a long, long time, but MLS could surpass NHL, and maybe MLB by the end of the decade if its momentum continues.

In any case, I'm so geeked over this deal. MLS is the only league I enjoy anymore. I dig parity and salary-capped leagues, and soccer has this suspense about it where every minute matters unlike most other sports. Great pickup for Apple.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#103

Post by tablespoon »

al_borland wrote: post #98
porcoda wrote: post #17

Finally! I don't care if it's apple or someone else, but the "no blackouts" thing is big. Nothing drives me more crazy than being unable to stream a game because I happen to live in the same geographic region as the team home field. This would finally motivate me to cancel the cable TV subscription - the only sport I watch is soccer, and the only reason I keep the cable TV is so I can dig out the remote whenever the…

I always thought that was silly. Games sell out, that doesn’t mean local fans still don’t want to watch.

> I always thought that was silly. Games sell out, that doesn’t mean local fans still don’t want to watch.

Do they still do blackouts if the game sells out? I'm not a sports fan, but I thought games would only get blacked out if they didn't sell enough in-person tickets.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#104

Post by bwing »

dylan604 wrote: post #83
avgDev wrote: post #26

This is probably one of the best decision by any TV provider. MLS is going to blow up in the coming years. There is a lot of talk about US national team being very competitive in 2026 World Cup. MLS has produced stars already, like Alphonso Davies. Once the hype gets higher and more money start being spent on soccer in the US, it will become a power house.

This will happen right after the year of Linux desktops. The US National team being competitive in international is way too high of an expection from anyone that follows international soccer. The US is stuck geographically playing Mexico all. the. damn. time. They rarely play any European teams. They also rarely play good South American teams. Until they regularly play good teams, they will stagnate going back and fo…

This overestimates the role of international soccer in predicting future international soccer success. Players get 99% of their development with their club teams. While it is crucial for Americans to regularly play good teams, this experience is mostly going to happen in top European leagues and the Champions League.

And we're in the midst of a huge boom period for Americans in Europe, with young Americans playing regularly for perennial Champions League teams Dortmund, Barcelona, Chelsea, Juventus, and Leipzig, a handful of starters on quality teams behind them, and major European teams spending more and more resources scouting American prospects.

Player quality is the main driver of international success: Belgium went from 57th-ranked in 2010 to 1st-ranked in 2015 (yes, FIFA rankings are bad, but they point to something real) not because of some change in scheduling philosophy but because they had a bunch of great players in 2015.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#105

Post by MrMetlHed »

foogazi wrote: post #90
porcoda wrote: post #17

Finally! I don't care if it's apple or someone else, but the "no blackouts" thing is big. Nothing drives me more crazy than being unable to stream a game because I happen to live in the same geographic region as the team home field. This would finally motivate me to cancel the cable TV subscription - the only sport I watch is soccer, and the only reason I keep the cable TV is so I can dig out the remote whenever the…

> but the "no blackouts" thing is big Wow missed that - very big deal I have the MLB package and blackouts drive me nuts - I’m not even in the Bay Area, but close enough to not be able to watch Giants or A’s home games, Than it’s already starting to fragment: some Friday games on AppleTV, some weekend games on Peacock And MLB.tv doesn’t carry playoff games

It is really annoying that MLB.TV has gone the route with games on other providers. I don't want to create another account or install some other app on my TV or phone for a few games a season. At least the radio broadcasts still work on mlb.com when it happens.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#106

Post by asdff »

dgritsko wrote: post #24

I'm really curious as to what Apple's broader strategy is with live sports, since that's typically been one of the last big reasons to keep a cable subscription. However, given that Apple TV Plus is going to have at least some MLB games[1] and is rumored to possibly be the new home for the NFL Sunday Ticket[2], they could be seeking to make it the must-have subscription for fans of live sports. https://www.apple.com/…

There is a lot of latent demand for people who just want to simply stream a game without having to pirate it or get worked around by the leagues. Most people I know today do it on illegal streams or share an mlb/nfl password with everyone they possibly know. Imagine if you monetized that market. The leagues are clearly too petty and incompetent to do it right, but Apple could make it really user friendly.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#107

Post by asdff »

bitsoda wrote: post #102
avgDev wrote: post #26

This is probably one of the best decision by any TV provider. MLS is going to blow up in the coming years. There is a lot of talk about US national team being very competitive in 2026 World Cup. MLS has produced stars already, like Alphonso Davies. Once the hype gets higher and more money start being spent on soccer in the US, it will become a power house.

MLS will steadily grow over the next decade, of that I have no doubt. I think soccer in America has a ceiling, though. NFL and NBA will be #1 and #2 for a long, long time, but MLS could surpass NHL, and maybe MLB by the end of the decade if its momentum continues. In any case, I'm so geeked over this deal. MLS is the only league I enjoy anymore. I dig parity and salary-capped leagues, and soccer has this suspense abo…

MLS doesn't yet have a good farm system like in Europe or other leagues here in the U.S. like MLB. Seems to be why you get a lot of older talent coming from elsewhere.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#108

Post by TheTrotters »

“This partnership is a historic first for a major professional sports league, and will allow fans around the world to watch all MLS, Leagues Cup,1 and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches in one place — without any local broadcast blackouts or the need for a traditional pay TV bundle.”

The “around the world” part is huge for the MLS (and to a lesser extent for Apple). I’m in Europe and I’ve never watched an MLS game. But it looks like it’ll be the first and only football league that I’ll be able to watch in a civilized way so I’ll definitely give it a try.

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#109

Post by [deleted] »

PaulHoule wrote: post #95
JamesSwift wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just dont see MLS "blowing up". Will it be more popular than today? Possibly, though I feel like its been given several chances to catch on and never has. Will it challenge NFL / NBA popularity in any way? IMO, absolutely not.

Engagement with MLS is somewhere close to zero. Back when I was involved in coaching youth soccer I found the other coaches had never heard of the New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, L.A. Galaxy, etc. These folks were fans of man united but had no interest at all in US soccer. Who knows? Maybe not having lockouts will mean that if some team starts playing well people will be able to watch it. MLS definitely n…

[deleted]

Re: Apple and MLS to present all MLS matches for 10 years, beginning in 2023

#110

Post by al_borland »

tablespoon wrote: post #103
al_borland wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always thought that was silly. Games sell out, that doesn’t mean local fans still don’t want to watch.

> I always thought that was silly. Games sell out, that doesn’t mean local fans still don’t want to watch. Do they still do blackouts if the game sells out? I'm not a sports fan, but I thought games would only get blacked out if they didn't sell enough in-person tickets.

Not sure on that. I just remember living about a mile from a large college stadium that always sells out. I tried to watch the game on TV and got denied. This was a while back, I'm not a huge sports fan, but that stuck with me and made me not want to bother trying to watch any future games.
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