Apple (AAPL) Shakes Up Sports Streaming: All MLS Games Moving Exclusively to Apple TV
Tech giant Apple makes another power play in the streaming wars—locking down Major League Soccer as an Apple TV exclusive. No more channel surfing for footy fans.
The move signals Apple's aggressive push into live sports, a proven subscriber magnet. Wall Street analysts nod approvingly—nothing juicier than locking eyeballs into a closed ecosystem.
Will this be the killer app for Apple TV+? Or just another expensive bet in Silicon Valley's 'throw money at content' strategy? Either way, the beautiful game just got more... proprietary.
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Interestingly, the idea to MOVE everything to Apple TV came from Apple itself, as the platform gained more users. Stevenson said that the league was fully supportive of the change and confirmed that some parts of the original deal were updated, though not drastically. The main goal, he explained, was to improve the fan experience by making MLS more accessible and easier to watch. In fact, Apple has been steadily expanding its sports content, and this move follows a similar deal with Formula 1 (FWONK).
Moreover, Apple executives have criticized how complicated sports streaming has become, as fans need several subscriptions just to follow one sport. This led Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior VP of Services, to recently say that the market has “gone backwards” compared to the days when one cable subscription covered everything. While MLS and Apple haven’t shared Season Pass performance data publicly, MLS Commissioner Don Garber previously said subscriptions had exceeded expectations.
Is Apple a Buy or Sell Right Now?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on AAPL stock based on 21 Buys, 12 Holds, and two Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average AAPL price target of $289.80 per share implies 6.1% upside potential.
