By Sam Boughedda
JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee, responding to news of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) TV+'s 10-year streaming deal for all Major League Soccer games in 2023-2032, said the move will boost Apple TV+ subscriber count and increase the value for subscribers.
Apple has won exclusive rights to every MLS match globally, giving TV+ users access to live matches in MLS and Leagues Cup, making MLS the largest major American sports league to move all of its games to a streaming service.
"In our Apple TV+ deep dive published earlier today, we estimate that Apple TV+ has approximately 25 mn paid subscribers, a small base relative to the 88 mn subscribers Disney+ reached over the same time period, largely due to Apple’s small original content base and slow ramp into new titles," said Chatterjee. "As noted in our Sports Almanac note, soccer is particularly well-suited for streaming on account of its younger and more tech-savvy fan base, as well as relative volume of matches, which helps combat retention issues in streaming models."
The analyst added that the 2026 World Cup in North America should drive higher interest in soccer around then.
However, he stated: "We hesitate to describe the announcement today as a watershed moment for the industry, noting that MLS is still a relatively minor property when measured in audience size (unless this precedes a much larger move by Apple or its competitors into the sports ecosystem)."