MLS Playoffs Included in Apple TV Subscription at No Extra Cost

Soccer fans, rejoice! If you have an Apple TV subscription, you’ll be able to watch all the MLS playoffs at no extra cost. Sports Business Journal first spotted the perk. If you don’t have an Apple TV subscription, you can watch for free for 7 days.

The playoffs begin Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Some playoff games will also be available through FS1 and Fox Deportes. MLS Cup will air on the FOX network.

When Are the MLS Playoffs?

• Wild Card Matches: Wednesday, October 22
• Round One Best-of-3 Series: Friday, October 24 – Sunday, November 9
• Conference Semifinals: Saturday, November 22 – Sunday, November 23
• Conference Finals: Saturday, November 29 – Sunday, November 30
• MLS Cup: Saturday, December 6

What Are the Teams in the MLS Playoffs?

Seeds 8 and 9 in each conference will duke it out in the Wild Card Matches on October 22 for the right to join the best-of-3 first round against the conference leaders starting Oct. 26.

Eastern Conference

1. Philadelphia Union
2. FC Cincinnati
3. Inter Miami FC
4. Charlotte FC
5. New York City Football Club
6. Nashville SC
7. Columbus Crew
8. Chicago Fire FC
9. Orlando City

Western Conference

1. San Diego FC
2. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
3. Los Angeles Football Club
4. Minnesota United FC
5. Seattle Sounders FC
6. Austin FC
7. FC Dallas
8. Portland Timbers
9. Real Salt Lake

The Start of Things to Come?

To watch the regular season, fans had to pay for MLS Season Pass, which was $14.99/month or $99/season. Apple TV subscribers were able to watch for $12.99/month or $79/season.

But might Apple be ready to include MLS Season Pass for all its subscribers?

The company just paid a small fortune for the next 5 years of F1 racing. Apple TV subscribers won’t have to pay extra to see those events. If Apple wants more subscribers, adding sports would help make the platform more attractive.

It’s unclear what kind of streamer Apple TV wants to be. It has some really phenomenal shows like “Slow Horses,” “Severance,” “The Studio,” “Silo,” and “Ted Lasso.” In some ways, it brings back memories of the heyday of HBO.

But sports are a different animal altogether. While sports fans can be a loyal audience, the nonstop battle for broadcast rights seems like a losing proposition in the long run. The cost of sports gets passed on to subscribers whether they watch them or not. Every Peacock subscriber now has to subsidize the cost of that company’s new NBA deal, for example.

Apple TV has always seemed like a strange diversion for a company that makes most of its money on tech devices and services. They’re clearly not under the same financial pressures as a straight content company like Warner Bros. Discovery or Netflix. But if Apple really wants to get into the streaming wars, it may find itself fighting a battle it doesn’t need, and one that could be a drag on the larger organization.