If you happen to find yourself at a loose end this weekend, it might not be a bad idea to fire up the Apple TV app and check out some Major League Soccer action. All 14 of this weekend's games will be available to watch for free in English and Spanish, so you won't need an MLS Season Pass subscription.

Apple Vision Pro users will be able to check out MLS games on a virtual screen that appears to be up to 100 feet wide. The Apple TV app is also available on smart TVs, set-top boxes, game consoles and of course on Apple's own devices.

Among the games you'll be able to watch are Inter Miami's visit to DC United. Ticket prices for Miami games have gone through the roof since Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all-time, joined the team last year. So, getting to watch the match for free is nothing to complain about. (Messi is likely to miss the game due to injury anyway, so you might be glad you didn't spend up to four figures on a ticket.) I'll most likely be watching my local team CF Montreal playing away at Chicago Fire, which takes place at the same time as the Miami match on Saturday afternoon.

Lionel Messi has hit the ground running in Major League Soccer, and he's boosting Apple's bottom line in the process. Tickets for Inter Miami games have soared in price since Messi, the greatest soccer player of his generation and arguably the best of all time, joined the team several weeks ago. On top of that, subscriptions to Apple TV's MLS Season Pass have more than doubled since the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star started plying his trade in the US in July.

That's according to Jorge Mas, one of Inter Miami's owners. Mas added that "Spanish language viewership on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV has surpassed over 50 percent for Messi matches and continues to rise," underscoring the player's popularity in the Spanish-speaking community. Apple CEO Tim Cook retweeted Mas' comments, indicating that Mas' claims are genuine (Apple's PR team has been drawing attention to the tweet as well).

The company hasn't disclosed how many subscribers the service has, though reports in July suggested the number was nearing 1 million before Messi's arrival. In any case, Apple is evidently pleased by Messi's impact on MLS Season Pass.

"For MLS, we could not be happier with how the partnership is going," Cook said on an Apple earnings call last week. "It's clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit. And so we're very excited about it."

Apple, which dropped the price of the subscription from $99 to $49 for the second half of the season, is said to be paying $250 million a year for the MLS broadcast rights. Messi is reportedly taking a cut of revenue from new MLS Season Pass subscribers as part of his Inter Miami contract.

Messi has hit the ground running in Miami. He has scored seven goals and contributed three assists in four games, all of which Miami won. Before he joined the team, Miami was on an 11-game winless streak.

Although he's 36, an age when most soccer players are winding down their careers, Messi is still going strong. He led Argentina to the biggest prize in the game, the World Cup, last December and helped PSG win back-to-back French league championships before moving to the US. As a result, Messi is the overwhelming favorite to win the Ballon d'Or, arguably the most prestigious individual award in soccer, for a record-extending eighth time.

Apple already announced a lot of the details on its MLS Season Pass, the company's biggest entry into live sports streaming yet. However, the company and the league still had a few details they hadn't yet revealed. As the start of the new season draws closer, the two collaborators announced more info today, including streaming and audio quality in addition to scheduling, the number of games and studio show formats

In what will be a disappointment for some, Apple will stream every game in 1080p. That's the same quality the company offered for its weekly Major League Baseball games last year. However, it's an improvement for MLS as every game wasn't available in 1080p previously. The plan is to have more cameras on the field at each match, so despite a lack of 4K, the comprehensive nature of the visuals should be better than what fans are used to seeing. All MLS regular season and Leagues Cup matches will also be streamed with Dolby 5.1 audio as well as alternate broadcast options like local radio. 

One key thing that will be a welcome change for MLS fans is that the league has standardized game start times and scheduling. With a few exceptions, games will be on Saturday or Wednesday nights and they'll start at 7:30PM local time. There are some Sunday matches scheduled and a few afternoon games, but since MLS is dealing primarily with one broadcaster now, it had the ability to make things a lot easier to follow. Fans can expect at least 13 matches every Saturday or Wednesday night and they'll start at one of four times: 7:30PM Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific.

Billy Steele/Engadget

This schedule change also makes it easier to plan studio programming. Apple and MLS will offer three options: a preview show (MLS Countdown), a post-game show (MLS Wrap-up) and continuous "whiparound" coverage for the entire five hours games take place (MLS 360). A typical Saturday will begin with MLS Countdown 30 minutes prior to the east coast games kicking off. There will also be 15-minute installments of Countdown before the Central, Mountain and Pacific time zone matches begin. During the entire night, MLS 360 will offer coverage of key moments (goals) as they happen with live look-ins of in-progress matches with studio commentary. Finally, Wrap-up will air when all the games have concluded as a recap of all of the day's action.

In total, Apple and MLS will offer up almost 1000 games through Season Pass. That's every regular season game, the All Star Game and MLS Cup playoffs. Then there's the 77 matches of the Leagues Cup that will include every team from MLS and Mexico's Liga MX (group stage and knockout rounds). Season Pass will also stream 250 live MLS Next Pro matches from league-affiliated development teams, including playoffs and the championship game. There will also be over 100 games from the MLS Next youth level, some of which are tournaments or qualifying tournaments, with MLS club academies on display here. 

As Apple has said before, MLS Season Pass will be available everywhere you find the Apple TV app. That includes the web, Apple TV (4K, HD and 3rd generation), iPhone, iPad and Mac as well as Samsung, Vizio, LG, Sony, Panasonic and Hisense smart TVs. You'll also find it on Roku, Fire TV, Android TV and Google TV streaming devices and it's available on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Comcast in the US, Sky in the UK, Free in France, Magenta TV in Germany and B TV in Slovakia are TV providers that offer access. 

The 2023 season starts February 25th, but MLS Season Pass has already launched. There's plenty of on-demand content to prepare you for the season if you want to sign up now. The streaming plan costs $15 per month or $99 for the season. If you're an Apple TV+ customer, you'll get the discounted rates of $13/month or $79 a season. There will be a number of free games during the season, including every match on opening weekend. For a list of what you'll be able to watch without a subscription for the first month, check the MLS schedule here. Some games will also air on FOX and FS1.

Apple dabbled in live sports with weekly Major League Baseball games last year, but now the company is launching its most ambitious offering yet. Today, the company debuts MLS Season Pass, a subscription that gives soccer fans access to every game of the 2023 season, the Leagues Cup and both MLS Next Pro and MLS Next matches — all with no blackouts. While you can sign up today and start watching a library of archived content, the first games begin February 25th. 

MLS Season Pass will be available to stream through the Apple TV app on the company's range of devices, game consoles, streaming gadgets, set-top boxes, smart TVs and on the web. Anywhere you find that piece of software you'll be able to access the subscription. The streaming plan costs $15 per month or $99 for the season. If you're an Apple TV+ customer, you'll get the discounted rates of $13/month or $79 a season. What's more, avid fans who are season ticket holders for an MLS club will get the all-inclusive streaming subscription for free. Apple's tie-in with MLS is part of a 10-year deal, so the US league's games aren't going to another network or streaming service any time soon.

If you're not sure if you want to commit just yet, "the majority" of the on-demand content already streaming is available for free. More importantly, Apple will offer every game on opening weekend free of charge and will follow that up with weekly free games. That library of on-demand items includes archived matches going back to 2019, documentary-style stories, the best moments from last season and curated highlights. 

Apple

Each team has a club page with highlights, schedule info and archived games. Once you select the team(s) you want to follow, match reminders will display in the Up Next section of the Apple TV app. As the season approaches, you'll be privy to game previews and other team-specific content. During matches, updates will show on your iPhone lockscreen via Live Activities. 

Apple has committed to English and Spanish commentary teams for every match. Additionally, MLS Season Pass will offer French for matches that include the leagues Canadian clubs. Apple has already announced a team of nearly 50 announcers, including a wide range of experienced broadcasters and former players. Maurice Edu, Cobi Jones, Taylor Twellman, Lori Lindsey and Danielle Slaton are just a few of the many. In addition to games, MLS Season Pass will offer live pre-game, halftime and post-game analysis in addition to a "whip-around show" with live look-ins at in-progress matches and detailed discussions of key moments from every game. 

Interestingly, Apple will also provide radio broadcasts as part of the streaming plan. If you don't care for the broadcast team, or just prefer to listen to your favorite club's radio crew, you can opt for that alternate audio. The company promises that the sound will sync up with the live action so it will be a true replacement if you choose it. One of the key things that Apple hasn't announced yet is streaming quality. The company says that the "full production plan" will be announced ahead of the season's start, which will hopefully include that info. Apple's weekly MLB games were streamed in 1080p at 60fps, but since MLS Season Pass is a much more elaborate effort that includes literally every match, maybe the company will surprise us and upgrade to 4K. 

Apple

Apple's Major League Soccer streaming finally has a launch date and, importantly, a price. The company has revealed that the MLS Season Pass will debut February 1st, 2023 at a price of $99 per season, or $15 per month. As you might guess, Apple TV+ subscribers get a discounted rate of $79 per season and $13 per month. The regular season kicks off February 25th, so you'll have a while to decide before the competition begins in earnest.

Full-season ticket packages will include MLS Season Pass. You won't always have to subscribe, however. Some MLS and Leagues Cup matches will stream at no extra charge for Apple TV+ viewers, and certain matches (such as those from the "MLS is Back" opening weekend) will be completely free to view.

The allure, as mentioned in June, is the complete coverage. You can watch every match, including the playoffs and League Cup, without running into regional blackouts. Replays, highlights and other content will be available if you miss the live action. MLS games will be available through the Apple TV app and the web. English, Spanish and (for Canadian teams) French commentary will be available, and you can also tune into a team's local radio broadcast.

The premiere marks the start of a 10-year deal between Apple and the MLS. It's also a significant expansion of Apple's sports strategy. Until now, live sports from Apple were limited to free, weekly Friday Night Baseball double-headers. Now, the company is streaming whole seasons and charging for it like the leagues themselves. MLS Season Pass might not be as desirable as offerings like NFL+, but it could put pressure on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+ and other streamers using live sports as a selling point.

After the debut of Friday Night Baseball, Apple is pushing further into live sports streaming. Starting in 2023, Apple TV will be the only place to watch every Major League Soccer game for the next decade. Soccer fans around the world will be able to stream all of the league's matches through the Apple TV app. Notably, there won't be any restrictions or regional blackouts.

The 10-year deal also covers Leagues Cup games (though viewers in Mexico will have to watch those and Campeones Cup matches elsewhere), along with select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT games. ESPN, Fox Sports and Univision currently hold the rights to MLS games, though their deals will expire after the current season.

Fans will need to subscribe to a new MLS streaming service, which will only be available through the Apple TV app, to watch every game. Access will be included as part of MLS full-season ticket packages. Apple also says TV+ subscribers will have access to a "broad selection" of MLS and Leagues Cup matches at no extra cost. Some games will be available for free.

Along with live games, the MLS streaming service will feature replays, highlights, analysis and a weekly whip-around show that will include goals and other key moments. There will be original programming as well. All MLS and Leagues Cup matches will have English and Spanish announcers, and games with Canadian teams will have French announcers too.

Fans will be able to follow news about MLS and their favorite teams in Apple News, and highlights will be featured there too. Along with the Apple TV app, which is available on a variety of platforms and devices, you'll be able watch games on the streaming service's website. More details, including pricing, will be revealed in the coming months.

“For the first time in the history of sports, fans will be able to access everything from a major professional sports league in one place,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said in a statement. “It’s a dream come true for MLS fans, soccer fans, and anyone who loves sports. No fragmentation, no frustration — just the flexibility to sign up for one convenient service that gives you everything MLS, anywhere and anytime you want to watch.”

The company will reportedly pay MLS at least $250 million per year under the pact. After the minimum guarantee is met through subscriptions, MLS will receive extra revenue. Some games may air on linear TV networks as well, according to Sports Business Journal, though those matches will still be available on the Apple/MLS service.

Apple's push into sports may not end with baseball and soccer. The company has also long been rumored as a potential partner for the NFL.