MLS and the Apple TV Deal: The good, the bad, and the ugly
The MLS and Apple TV Deal: The Ugly
Before beginning this section, it is vital to repeat that not every team has good local coverage, both with the broadcast itself and the accessibility. Some fans already have to pay in order to watch their team, and for those who do not, they are still paying for their cable package that has the local channel for their MLS team. Nothing is ever free.
With that being said, most of the local sport teams are readily and easily available to watch on local TV, and many do not pay extra money in order to watch a local team in their own market.
However, the MLS and Apple TV deal ensures that every fan, with the exception of Season Ticket Holders, must pay a to-be-determined price in order to watch their local team. This is the ugly aspect of the deal. And, with the vast size of Canada and the United States, there are quite a few fans who cannot be Season Ticket Holders because they live too far from the stadium. As a result, they watch most matches on TV.
Therefore, putting the majority of the league behind a paywall is greed. It makes sense if a Seattle Sounders fan moves to Los Angeles, and then pays to watch their team out of market. But it is astounding that MLS, a league that is trying to grow, would force local supporters to pay money in order to watch their own team.
In some sense, MLS is taking unnecessary money from their supporters. For those who have access right now to their local broadcasts, many are not paying to specifically watch their team. Indeed, it is not free because people pay for cable, but in other ways, it is free, for one is not paying for a streaming service in order to watch their local MLS side.
Again, it is hard to grow the league when the majority of matches will be behind a paywall. Yes, the Apple deal is great for growing the game internationally, and for fans and non-fans who have cut the cord. But as mentioned in the bad, the possibly interested fan will not become a fan if the matches are not readily and easily accessible.
There is no doubt MLS is choosing money over their fans. The league can argue all they want about the future of streaming and how it will help grow the fan base; it is just difficult to see that future. Although, in the end everything could work out, and these points made at MLS Multiplex could be entirely wrong. At the same time, there are things MLS and Apple can do between now and the launch of the MLS streaming service to ensure this becomes one of the best deals in the history of sports.