Apple and Major League Soccer will launch their soccer streaming service on February 1st

MLS Season Pass is coming soon. | Image: Apple

Apple and Major League Soccer will launch their dedicated soccer streaming service, MLS Season Pass, on February 1st, 2023, Apple announced on Wednesday. The service will cost $14.99 per month during the season or $99 for an entire season, and if you have an Apple TV Plus subscription, you can get it for cheaper at $12.99 per month or $79 per season.

With MLS Season Pass, you can watch every live regular season match, all of the playoffs, and the Leagues Cup with no blackouts. The service will also offer an “exclusive live match whip-around show” that sounds a lot like NFL’s RedZone: the idea is that fans will “fans never miss an exciting goal or save,” and it will also feature “game replays, highlights, and analysis.” You’ll be able to watch matches through the Apple TV app.

Apple’s blockbuster deal with the MLS runs for 10 years. To help promote the partnership, all 29 clubs in the MLS will have an Apple TV patch on their jerseys in a different color. The MLS’s regular season kicks off on February 25th, and during opening weekend, all matches will be available for free.

Live sports are becoming an increasingly important battleground for streaming companies as a way to entice customers to keep paying for their services. Amazon is now the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football as part of an 11-year deal, for example, and while Netflix hasn’t jumped into live sports just yet, the fact that it’s dipping its toes in the live broadcast water could be an indication of what’s to come. Apple is reportedly one of the leading candidates to nab the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, and it’s already planning to tie itself closer to football by sponsoring next February’s Super Bowl halftime show.