October 30: Tubi will stream two Major League Soccer (MLS) games on Decision Day, November 7, the first live MLS games on Fox’s free streaming service.
Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC and LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders will be simulcast with MLS’ own production for Apple TV. The 30 teams play on the last day of the regular season. Terms were not disclosed.
It’s MLS’ latest attempt to reach an audience beyond Apple TV, where its rights deal runs through 2028-29. The league has already tested Messi-centric streams on TikTok, simulcasting on the EA FC mobile app and alternate streams with podcasters The Cooligans on Yahoo Sports.
“What we’re looking at now is what are these new and exciting ways that we can go out and capture new fans and new audiences and bring them not just to these games, but to the league as a whole and ultimately to the platform for them to consume more MLS on Apple TV,” said Seth Bacon, MLS executive vice president of media.
There are no alternative deals for the playoffs, but Bacon said, “Nothing is off the table right now.”
Tubi has been adding live sports. It simulcasts Fox’s Super Bowl LIX and World Cup coverage, will carry the Eagles-Cowboys Thanksgiving game and offers alternate broadcasts of three F1 races, another Apple TV property.
The bigger question is what comes next for linear TV. Fox’s deal, which has delivered 34 regular-season simulcasts a year to Fox and FS1 during the Apple era, ends after this season. Talks about linear coverage for 2027, starting with the Sprint season before the league moves to its new schedule, are ongoing.
“Apple owns our rights, so everything we do, we do in concert with them,” Bacon said. “We’re aligned with the idea of having broad linear distribution to make sure we can get more fans and really make sure it’s driving the audience and driving value and education and awareness and promotion.”
After the World Cup boosted MLS’s audience, keeping the league visible beyond a subscription platform is more important than ever.
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