MLS and Apple Broadcasting Deal

[Mkdaman1818]

I saw the reports about Wednesday and Saturday, but I have not seen any indication they are completely getting rid of weekend afternoon games. They already reduced afternoon games a few years ago during the hottest months. I'm not sure why they would limit them further. If they do I agree it is a mistake. Besides what you said, there are only so many hours in a Saturday night to squeeze in 14 games without a lot of overlap that would limit the benefit of the package. You can't really do something like the NFL Red Zone channel with soccer, either. It's too fluid. Also, who wans t go to a night game in March in cold climates?

Further to this point, they specifically say they want to stagger times to create a Red Zone like channel/show. If that’s the case, they’ll want windows from East coast afternoon to evening. I think they’ll do afternoon games just as much as evening ones.

 

[Gotham Gator]

A few additional observations.

• It will be great for the league to have a single, dedicated partner. ESPN and Fox show random games at odd times. There is no consistency as to when you can find a game on broadcast TV. There are no studio shows, weekly wrap ups or any of the things that help build fans of teams into fans of leagues. That will all change.
• On the other hand, this could also act to move MLS even more to the margins of the U.S. sports landscape. A lot will depend on how many games make it to regular broadcast channels, but if that declines, then MLS will mostly be seen outside of the major sports outlets on its own special service. MLS and its clubs badly need to be viewed as a normal part of the sporting landscape. Something a sports fan will want to follow in the same way he follows everything else. Taking the games off the local networks, with the cross promotion of the MLS match across other sports will affect this too.
• The money seems a nice increase from the last contract, even factoring in the local content.
• Apple will almost certainly set up a stable of announcers in the same manner as the networks do for NFL games. In some cases, particular announcers might be the default for a particular club - as the networks do with the Giants and Jets.
• A big question will be which announcers they secure, which in turn raises the question of whether certain high profile announcers will stick with Fox or ESPN. I am thinking of guys like JP Dellacamera and Ian Joy, who both work local teams and do other broadcasts for Fox. Perhaps they'll be able to do both jobs, but maybe not.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I saw the reports about Wednesday and Saturday, but I have not seen any indication they are completely getting rid of weekend afternoon games. They already reduced afternoon games a few years ago during the hottest months. I'm not sure why they would limit them further. If they do I agree it is a mistake. Besides what you said, there are only so many hours in a Saturday night to squeeze in 14 games without a lot of overlap that would limit the benefit of the package. You can't really do something like the NFL Red Zone channel with soccer, either. It's too fluid. Also, who wans t go to a night game in March in cold climates?

Further to this point, they specifically say they want to stagger times to create a Red Zone like channel/show. If that’s the case, they’ll want windows from East coast afternoon to evening. I think they’ll do afternoon games just as much as evening ones.

Consistent timing from week to week is more important than it may seem. Think of the NFL or college football, where the windows are obvious, and you know how to find the best games pretty easily.

Consistent timing that eliminates all the options for people who want to watch during the day or at night is too limiting and a bad idea.

Also, see below.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1536751488420065280

 

[joe]

Apparently “linear” means “is on tv”

Apple will stream every Major League Soccer match for 10 years starting in 2023

From Ted Lasso to real soccer.

www.theverge.com

 

[mgarbowski]

Consistent timing from week to week is more important than it may seem. Think of the NFL or college football, where the windows are obvious, and you know how to find the best games pretty easily.

Consistent timing that eliminates all the options for people who want to watch during the day or at night is too limiting and a bad idea.

Also, see below.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1536751488420065280

Paul is generally reliable, but this is an unsourced statement and an 18 word tweet, and no official announcement has been made, and at best I think there's a game of telephone happening.
Or I'm wrong, but my gut tells me Kennedy is being more specific here than is warranted.

 

[Brooklyn Blue]

I understand the concerns about attending games in person and hope that there are windows and opportuntities for fans with family and or religious concerns. However, to increase the stature and visibility of the league, it was imperative that the league committed to regular times for games.

The NFL is king in this country, and the known times of games is part of that (along with television and gambling). In Europe, major leagues have games in specific windows. Knowing that "a" game is on - rather than a particular game - is massive.

At a lower level, look to the MAC and its agreement to have college football conference games scheduled for Tuesday night. That decision helped elevate the MAC to a level beyond any Group of Five conference since it was known exposure in a specific window. If MLS plays it right, the Wednesday games will have greater impact on increasing visibility for the league than the weekend games. It is the most underrated aspect of the Apple announcement.

 

[Shwafta]

I understand the concerns about attending games in person and hope that there are windows and opportuntities for fans with family and or religious concerns. However, to increase the stature and visibility of the league, it was imperative that the league committed to regular times for games.

The NFL is king in this country, and the known times of games is part of that (along with television and gambling). In Europe, major leagues have games in specific windows. Knowing that "a" game is on - rather than a particular game - is massive.

At a lower level, look to the MAC and its agreement to have college football conference games scheduled for Tuesday night. That decision helped elevate the MAC to a level beyond any Group of Five conference since it was known exposure in a specific window. If MLS plays it right, the Wednesday games will have greater impact on increasing visibility for the league than the weekend games. It is the most underrated aspect of the Apple announcement.

MLS has already standardized to pretty consistent sat/sun windows and I just don't see why not a few games on sat, a few games on sun. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[mgarbowski]

Apparently “linear” means “is on tv”

Apple will stream every Major League Soccer match for 10 years starting in 2023

From Ted Lasso to real soccer.

www.theverge.com

The definition I have found is that linear tv is when most of the audience watches a program in real time at the same time when it is broadcast. Non-linear is everyone bingeing Stranger Things on their own schedule. Some people use linear to mean traditional broadcast networks as opposed to streaming services, but since you can DVR anything, network shows aren't watched linearly any more than streaming services are.

Except sports. At this point, live sports is linear TV, regardless of what kind of platform it is on. You might watch a replay, or time shift a DVR copy, but mostly everyone watches live.

So I still have no idea what Paul Kennedy is referring to when he says linear might be on a different schedule. If he meant occasional games might be on other networks at different times, he should have said so. "Linear or stadium conflicts" is really unclear, as well as arcane jargon.

 

[mgarbowski]

I understand the concerns about attending games in person and hope that there are windows and opportuntities for fans with family and or religious concerns. However, to increase the stature and visibility of the league, it was imperative that the league committed to regular times for games.

The NFL is king in this country, and the known times of games is part of that (along with television and gambling). In Europe, major leagues have games in specific windows. Knowing that "a" game is on - rather than a particular game - is massive.

At a lower level, look to the MAC and its agreement to have college football conference games scheduled for Tuesday night. That decision helped elevate the MAC to a level beyond any Group of Five conference since it was known exposure in a specific window. If MLS plays it right, the Wednesday games will have greater impact on increasing visibility for the league than the weekend games. It is the most underrated aspect of the Apple announcement.

I'm not sure any of that translates to MLS.

If college football and the NFL didn't have a truce, then the NFL would play games on Saturday and CFB would play on Sunday.
As it is, the NFL has over the years diverted more and more from its traditional Sunday afternoon schedule to play Monday nights, then Sunday and Thursday. And besides the MAC, CFB now has games on all over the week.
If the MAC succeeded by playing Tuesday nights that's because there are so many CFB fans desperate to watch more and more CFB that they'll actually watch the MAC conference on Tuesday because there's no better football available at that time.
Meanwhile, Saturday nights are hardly a no-competition zone for MLS.
Regular Wednesday night games might get a soccer audience who normally won't watch MLS. But will the league really force Wednesday night games most every week into the schedule?

Maybe this works. But to me it just has the markings of consultant strategy. I think looking at the NFL and saying you should play most of your games in a short window one afternoon or night a week is a wet streets cause rain theory. The NFL established its dominance of Sunday afternoons several decades ago because they made a deal with 2 of the 3 national networks at a time when most people had 4-5 total channels to choose from with no time-shifting or streaming or even VCR's. If MLS can replicate those conditions I think they should go for it.

 

[Mkdaman1818]

Consistent timing from week to week is more important than it may seem. Think of the NFL or college football, where the windows are obvious, and you know how to find the best games pretty easily.

Consistent timing that eliminates all the options for people who want to watch during the day or at night is too limiting and a bad idea.

Also, see below.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1536751488420065280

Every rumor here points to Apple trying to make the MLS like the EPL, which does the majority of its games on Saturday windows (and occasional Wednesdays), with Saturday windows being in the afternoon and the evenings.

It would make no sense for Apple to only do night games, especially in the summer when there is no other competition other than baseball, which also has start times ranging from afternoon to evening depending on the market. I guess time will tell.

 

[LionNYC]

I just can't wait for the Ted Lasso x MLS crossover content. Barbecue sauce.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

MLS is going to stagnate and die. What casual fans who MLS need to attract, are going to pay for Apple TV to watch MLS?

Who is going to promote MLS on national TV on NFL games, MLB games?

Madness. I won't be subscribing.

 

[moogoo]

MLS is going to stagnate and die. What casual fans who MLS need to attract, are going to pay for Apple TV to watch MLS?

Who is going to promote MLS on national TV on NFL games, MLB games?

Madness. I won't be subscribing.

you don't need to subscribe to apple TV. you just need to subscribe to the MLS subscription and watch through apple TV.

there will still be nationally broadcast games on ESPN, abc, fox, etc. They will just be simulcast so you can watch on whatever you want. The key here is with the MLS streaming subscription, there are no blackouts and you can watch every game across all tiers (MLS, next pro, next) and enjoy additional MLS content and review shows all in one place.

Will you need to spend money on a subscription? Yes if you don't already have a season ticket. If you do, then it's included.

 

[nickp91]

this is huge No blackouts is a game changer

 

[413Blue]

How much of a pain will it be to watch on non-iOS devices like Android phones and Roku tv's?

 

[Shawn Ryu]

you don't need to subscribe to apple TV. you just need to subscribe to the MLS subscription and watch through apple TV.

there will still be nationally broadcast games on ESPN, abc, fox, etc. They will just be simulcast so you can watch on whatever you want. The key here is with the MLS streaming subscription, there are no blackouts and you can watch every game across all tiers (MLS, next pro, next) and enjoy additional MLS content and review shows all in one place.

Will you need to spend money on a subscription? Yes if you don't already have a season ticket. If you do, then it's included.

How many fans that needs to be convinced to watch MLS buys season tickets bro?

 

[moogoo]

How much of a pain will it be to watch on non-iOS devices like Android phones and Roku tv's?

Apple TV works in an app or in a web browser. So it's very easy to access. No app on Android but works in browser. There is an app for Roku I believe

How many fans that needs to be convinced to watch MLS buys season tickets bro?

Your worry is attracting casual fans. Like I said in my other post, there will still be simulcast games. Only difference is local free broadcasts are gone.

Surely apple will promote MLS heavily as well. A 10 year commitment is no joke. They will want more subscribers too. And last I checked... There's a lot of apple users.

Also this deal will allow for global viewers which will be huge.

 

[mgarbowski]

How much of a pain will it be to watch on non-iOS devices like Android phones and Roku tv's?

There's no reason Apple should create a subpar app for other platforms, and they have every motivation to get it right.
OTOH, there's no reason YES should create a subpar app, and they have every motivation to get it right, and it sucks.
I think we're just going to have to wait and see.

 

[Joe_Cos]

The definition I have found is that linear tv is when most of the audience watches a program in real time at the same time when it is broadcast. Non-linear is everyone bingeing Stranger Things on their own schedule. Some people use linear to mean traditional broadcast networks as opposed to streaming services, but since you can DVR anything, network shows aren't watched linearly any more than streaming services are.

Except sports. At this point, live sports is linear TV, regardless of what kind of platform it is on. You might watch a replay, or time shift a DVR copy, but mostly everyone watches live.

So I still have no idea what Paul Kennedy is referring to when he says linear might be on a different schedule. If he meant occasional games might be on other networks at different times, he should have said so. "Linear or stadium conflicts" is really unclear, as well as arcane jargon.

According to the Athletic, ESPN and Univision (maybe Fox sourced by the SBJ) are in negotiations to broadcast games as well so that is where the linear TV conflicts come into play, and Apple TV will have the streaming rights for those games. I would also assume TSN would have a say as well for the Toronto games.

 

[Seth]

How much of a pain will it be to watch on non-iOS devices like Android phones and Roku tv's?

There's no reason Apple should create a subpar app for other platforms, and they have every motivation to get it right.
OTOH, there's no reason YES should create a subpar app, and they have every motivation to get it right, and it sucks.
I think we're just going to have to wait and see.

I have an Apple TV at home, and the Apple TV app on my devices, but for travel I got a Firestick, which is tiny in comparison, and then immediately downloaded the Apple TV app on that as well. Can't speak to Android phones and the like but the Apple TV app for the Firestick is identical to the one on my actual Apple TV.