MLS Season Pass on Apple TV: Everything you need to know
American football isn’t the only football that found a new digital home in 2023 (NFL Sunday Ticket has made the leap to YouTube and YouTube TV). MLS — that’s Major League Soccer — moves to a new online home with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
That doesn’t mean that Apple is the only way to watch any of the top flight of processional soccer in the U.S. And there’s a bit of explaining to do when it comes to precisely where and how you can watch. But the short version is that Apple seems like a pretty good home for the most popular sport in the world, and one that continues to grow by leaps and bounds in America.
Let’s get into it.
What is MLS Season Pass
First, we need to define a few terms here. MLS Season Pass is pretty much what it sounds like — every game this season, plus the playoffs, streaming on your favorite device. There aren’t any blackouts, and you’re able to share your subscription with others in your family.
The streaming will be done via the Apple TV app. That’s different than Apple TV (the little hardware box), and Apple TV+ (the premium content network with shows like Ted Lasso, Severance, and Shrinking). More on that below, but basically, if you can get online, you can get the Apple TV app. And that means you can get MLS Season Pass.
MLS Pass is about the games, of course. But it also goes deeper. There’s advanced coverage of every team, so you can dive deep into your favorite club (or your bitter rival if that’s how you roll). There’s news. There are highlights. There will be interviews. There are player features.
And, of course, there will be games and replays.
And as a way to attract more subscribers, not every match will require an MLS Season Pass subscription. Some will be available for free. That includes every match from the first week of competition, but there will be other freebies throughout the season.
How much does MLS Season Pass cost?
The pricing breakdown for MLS Season Pass is pretty simple.
- $15 a month or $100 a season if you’re not a subscriber to Apple TV+
- $13 a month or $80 a season if you subscribe to Apple TV+
One other thing — if you have a season ticket account with an MLS team, you’ll get a free subscription to MLS Season Pass.
Do you have to have an Apple device to watch?
Even though Apple is the rights-holder for streaming MLS games, you don’t actually have to own an Apple device to watch. That’s because Apple TV (the streaming app) is available on pretty much every modern media device. That means things like iPhones and iPads, of course, but also Roku and Amazon Fire TV, which remain the two most popular streaming platforms. You also can get the Apple TV app on Android TV and Google TV, on PlayStation and Xbox, on various smart TV systems, and on Comcast Xfinity and other set-top boxes.
If for some reason none of that works for you, Apple TV also is available in a web browser at tv.apple.com.
You will, though, need to rig up an Apple ID, because that’s what the subscription will run through.
Is MLS Season Pass available in 4K?
Nope. You’re not going to have the option to watch MLS Season Pass in 4K resolution. It’ll top out at 1080p.
While that’s a little disappointing on paper — we’ve very much enjoyed other sports in 4K resolution, even though it’s all upscaled — it’s also not a deal breaker. A good 1080p feed at 60 frames per second is just fine for live sports. And we’ll take a minimally compressed 1080p feed over a 4K feed compressed within an inch of its life any day of the week.
One other technical tidbit is that the matches also will be available with 5.1 surround sound. You’ll need a speaker setup that can support all those channels of course — that’s front-right-center, two rears, and a subwoofer. But a basic soundbar setup can handle that just fine.
Where else can you watch MLS games?
It’s worth noting that you won’t have to go an entire season without seeing an MLS game if you don’t have MLS Season Pass. Some matches will still be broadcast by channels like Fox and FS1. That includes the season-opener between Nashville and NYCFC on February 25 (you can watch it on Fox), and Seattle against Colorado on February 26, which is on FS1.
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