Don Garber smiled as he showed off Major League Soccer’s new facility, a state-of-the-art studio that will host shows for the Apple TV Season Pass package.
While flashy studios and graphics work to produce a wow factor, the longtime MLS commissioner knows the importance of this weekend’s season kickoff.
The 10-year, $2.5 billion partnership between Apple TV and MLS began Feb. 1 with the launch of Season Pass. As the 2023 schedule officially starts Saturday, every match — for the regular season, postseason, Leagues Cup, MLS All-Star Game and developmental leagues — can be accessed on the Apple TV app, allowing fans to watch without local blackouts or restrictions.
“We feel like we’re the Usain Bolt of television production. This has been a wild sprint for the last number of months, but it’s one where we’re really confident,” Garber said during an interview with The Associated Press at the league’s media seminar last month in San Jose, California.
The MLS/Apple model abandons the traditional framework where most games are available through a national or regional network. Even though MLS had some favorable local agreements, most teams struggled for visibility when they weren’t on ESPN, Fox or FS1.