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Reports: Apple TV to End MLS Season Pass in 2026 as All Matches Move to Base Service

The shift is intended to widen MLS viewership by leveraging Apple TV’s far larger subscriber base.

Overview

  • The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio first reported, and ESPN corroborated, that MLS Season Pass will conclude after 2025 with all matches included for Apple TV subscribers beginning in 2026.
  • Sources say the base subscription would carry every regular-season game plus the Leagues Cup, MLS All-Star Game, Campeones Cup, and the MLS Cup Playoffs.
  • This follows 2025 trials that opened Sunday Night Soccer and the playoffs to Apple TV subscribers, which reporting says delivered higher audiences.
  • Apple TV counts tens of millions of subscribers versus Season Pass in the low single-digit millions, while it remains unclear whether Apple’s roughly $250 million per year rights payments will be adjusted.
  • The reported plan aligns MLS with Apple’s broader sports bundle that includes MLB Friday Night Baseball and upcoming Formula 1 coverage, and formal announcements from Apple or MLS had not been issued in the articles.