MLS and Apple Broadcasting Deal

[Gene]

Go figure.......

MLS regular season data shows 29% viewership growth over 2024

MLS game viewership on Apple TV and other sources shows the league was up 29% year-over-year for regular-season weekend game audiences this season. In some of the first viewership data to be released publicly, MLS shared with SBJ that it had an average of 3.7 million global viewers for all...

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

 

[KevinJRogers]

Go figure.......

MLS regular season data shows 29% viewership growth over 2024

MLS game viewership on Apple TV and other sources shows the league was up 29% year-over-year for regular-season weekend game audiences this season. In some of the first viewership data to be released publicly, MLS shared with SBJ that it had an average of 3.7 million global viewers for all...

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

Hmm. That quote from Paulson is interesting. Maybe they are making money. He certainly seems happy enough.

 

[LionNYC]

Go figure.......

MLS regular season data shows 29% viewership growth over 2024

MLS game viewership on Apple TV and other sources shows the league was up 29% year-over-year for regular-season weekend game audiences this season. In some of the first viewership data to be released publicly, MLS shared with SBJ that it had an average of 3.7 million global viewers for all...

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

I think they were including all forms of how people could watch MLS which included live streams on EA Sports FC and TikTok.

 

[Marito]

My thought is that for a home game most of the fans who would watch a team are at the game. And for away games you’re probably pulling viewers from those would would have attended if they were playing at home. So for us I’d guess we have 1,000 or so viewers who are fans for a home game and maybe 15,000 viewers who are fans for the away games. I’d be surprised if there are a lot of viewers who aren’t STH or were STH.

Please don’t hold me to any numbers. My feeling is that most people don’t realize we have this league so they aren’t hunting for the games. As a new STH (year 3 with the team) I had no idea about the team and wouldn’t have looked to watch it on AppleTV. Maybe I would have channel surfed to it on local cable.

I watch every single game but rarely go to matches at the stadium. I wonder if 1,000 is low as an estimate for people who behave like me.

 

[moogoo]

I watch every single game but rarely go to matches at the stadium. I wonder if 1,000 is low as an estimate for people who behave like me.

I'm in the same boat. Used to be a STH but schedules changed and just wasn't able to make it to many games. The last two seasons I haven't gone to any but I do watch practically every game live.

1,000 seems low to me as well. There is probably a strong contingent who are still fans but just can't make it to games anymore plus all those who have moved away or picked NYCFC as their team simply because they are fans of NYC.

 

[Gene]

FWIW it's the same with us.
Schedules have changed and we just haven't had the time to go to the stadium.

 

[RunningWise]

I stand corrected. Didn’t think there were that many people not attending home games who were seeking it out. I did a bad job of trying to say that I believe the issue with it being on AppleTV and the subscription model is that you’re not going to easily pull in casual fans. I just underestimated the fans who no longer attend matches but still are fans.