MLS, Apple announce 10-year streaming partnership

Apple's foray into live sports took a big step forward Tuesday.

Apple and Major League Soccer have announced a 10-year partnership on a streaming service that will allow fans to watch every game without local blackouts or restrictions. The service will be available exclusively through the Apple TV app beginning next year.

The deal is Apple's second venture into streaming professional sports. In April, it began airing Friday Night Baseball, an exclusive weekly doubleheader of Major League Baseball games.

"The opportunity to partner with a sports league, and truly build the product together with them is very, very unique," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice-president of services. "We can bring the things that we do really well with the things that they do really well and really make the product, which I think will be significantly better for the fans. We want to create a great experience for fans to be able to watch and experience MLS like they've never had before."

The details of the streaming service will be announced in the coming months. The package will be included for fans who have full-season ticket packages for their club.

Some MLS and Leagues Cup matches will be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches also available for free.

"We really couldn't have found a better partner to embark on this new journey together to capitalize on the momentum that exists in MLS today," league Commissioner Don Garber said. "We can use this deal as rocket fuel as we build towards the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026 and thinking about what the sport of soccer, what Major League Soccer could look like, in the years beyond."

Currently, most MLS games are streamed on ESPN+,