Also says that it is a 10 year deal with no local blackouts and will be included with all full season ticket packages
seems like a good deal, a lot more money than ESPN+ could have offered for non-linear. Good for MLS diehards. will be interesting to see who gets the regular cable package and that amount since the broadcasts will be simulcast.
I can manage as I have an iOS device for work but does that mean that I won't be able to stream matches on Android?
So there are no more local tv deals? It's nice for season ticket holders that they supposedly are getting this service for free. Not sure how smart that is for growing the teams fanbases when they will have little to no games over normal TV.
Not yet clear. Apple TV is already available for Android TVs (think Sony, certain TCL models, Nvidia Shield, etc.) and will surely expand to Android phones/tablets before this goes live.
I think we'll see big linear rights (incl. local) be spun out eventually - but it will be interesting how much ESPN and the traditional players will want to run a simulcast from a nascent competitor.
See above. Also, some games will be given away outside of this new MLS package, but inside of another package (AppleTV+), so they technically will not be given away for free. Discovery will be similar to how it is now, in that someone needs to be browsing ESPN+ or their tv guide to see, and I think people spend even less time in Apple TV currently as they have the smallest library.
I don't envy the decision makers for long term broadcasting deals. 10 years ago, ESPN had just launched their first app for broadcasting games. Not having games on basic cable for local teams seems like a mistake right now, but who knows what the landscape of watching sports will be like in the second half of this deal. All in all, I think I like it, especially if they put effort into promotion MLS related content in addition to the games.
The use cases will end up being v similar to current EPL deal in the US, generally speaking. Engaged fans will pay for special subscription with pretty much all games. Difference: a good number of EPL games are not on Peacock, but rather only on USA/NBC. Fans who are marginally interested will have to get a new app & subscription if they want to watch the lion share of games. They (most likely) will be able to tune into local broadcast to watch the home town team. Difference: T&P if you live in a market where the home town broadcaster (which is increasingly the large networks) didn't wan to play ball with Apple. People with pretty much no interest will only come across the games if they happen to have the subscription, or scrolling the TV guide. I think the biggest difference is that MLS will be a standalone package vs Peacock which is an entire subscription and includes thousands of other titles. Only a few years ago we were paying for NBC Sports Gold or whatever the standalone EPL package was called in the pre-peacock age. https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...landmark-media-rights-deal-apple-tv/50369939/
As long as this is true, I still think it's a good deal. If this isn't true, I think it's a very bad idea especially during the hopeful World Cup bump.
Yeah I don't like that this is a separate app/product I'll have to pay for. I already subscribe to Apple TV, it should just be included on there.
That seems like an interesting choice by Apple. I wouldn’t think they’d do separate packages for Apple+ and then MLS+. I would think the main reason to invest $2.5 billion is to get people to sign up for your TV service, giving fans a chance to sign up for just MLS matches seems odd.
MLB app does this and it’s pretty nice. We don’t have good local radio guys so it won’t do anything for KC.
Local tv seems to be out per multiple articles/tweets. So yea not sure how this is going to do anything to increase popularity in MLS. But I'm sure Don is happy with the increased money.
Sounds like for sure we will get a Golazo show, maybe in both Wednesday and Saturday windows. Which is huge.
Good move for MLS. You won’t find me feeling bad for the local Bally sports channels that won’t have as much content anymore.
Did i miss it? I didn’t see anywhere the changes this will have on the salary cap. What was the weird formula? (New Deal - [Current+100m]) x .25 = Cap Increase (250-160) x .25 = 22.5 or 750K cap increase… Better than no increase but meh if I got any of that right.
As someone who enjoys watching MLS, this sucks pretty hard. Spread the games out through the day, especially early and late season when it'll be ok during the daytime and absolutely bitter at 8pm during March and October. The dumbest league.
That’s what I’m hearing too; although this certainly could be wrong. I’ll hate to lose the local RSL TV broadcast. It has very high production values and features Brian Dunseth, who is excellent. In contrast, no one knows how the Apple game production values will be. Any of you, go look at a MLS Next Pro game production and tell me the thought of Apple broadcasts being similar doesn’t make you want to break things.
I'm just assuming in the end they don't literally hold themselves to this idea and games are spread out during the day a bit more because otherwise that would suck
I like our local broadcast team, Shep Messing is a nut, but Cangialosi is really good. He might be on his way out at MSG anyway though. He's been calling more games at ESPN and recently announced that he wouldn't be doing the NJ Devils games next year.
They also said Apple is planning on using a lot of the local TV guys, just in their new crews. The example Paul used was Dunseth, he said guys like that will make up the new crews.
Couple other things that are in the front of my kind after that Pod. MLS is footing the production $$$$ and has creative control but Apple will be heavily involved in all of that. So any “Drive to Survive” type shows come out of MLS’ $250 million. Also all broadcast will have TV English and Spanish options, local radio options for each team, and eventually will add French, Portuguese, and German and will continue to expand language options.
I don't know who is producing Apples Friday night MLB Games, but man I tune in just for their telecast. Camera work, picture quality, graphics + stats and odds, its a beauty.
Well after the Tosun talk this would be fucking exciting That’s the Crew manager of team ops he’s following on IG 23 year old Colombian that can play ST/LW/RW and scored against both City and Arsenal this season (5G 3A in 1100 EPL minutes)