MLS and Apple are continuing efforts to make games accessible outside of Season Pass.
Monday, the league and Apple announced a partnership with EA Sports that will allow players of the EA Sports FC Mobile game to simulcast four select MLS matches inside the app. The first game available to players will be this Saturday with an MLS Cup rematch between the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls. One week later, Atlanta United FC and the Philadelphia Union will be the second match featured on the platform.
All games will be a direct simulcast of the MLS Season Pass broadcast on Apple TV, with the final two matches to be announced at a later date.
“This collaboration with EA and Apple TV underscores MLS’s commitment to pushing boundaries, innovation and fan-first experiences,” Camilo Durana, Executive VP, Major League Soccer, said in a statement. “By bringing select live MLS Season Pass matches to EA Sports FC Mobile, we’re reaching new and digitally native audiences around the world and continuing to broaden the way we’re building relationships with fans. It’s easier than ever to experience the excitement of MLS, our Clubs, our world-class players and our vibrant supporters.”
While perhaps an unfamiliar platform to some, EA Sports FC Mobile is a wildly popular mobile game frequented by young soccer fans worldwide. The app has over 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store and likely millions more on the Apple App Store.
The initiative is in line with other efforts MLS has made this season to make its games more accessible. The league has struck distribution deals with both Comcast and DirecTV that place games directly in the channel guides on both platforms, directing users to signup for MLS Season Pass if they select a game. They’ve also reintroduced a deal for T-Mobile customers that provides a complimentary Season Pass subscription. Perhaps the league’s most important initiative is its new Sunday Night Soccer package, a standalone game every week that airs in front of the MLS Season Pass paywall.
All of these efforts are designed with one goal in mind: converting non-Season Pass customers into subscribers.
The efficacy of these initiatives can be debated. Some within the league have voiced their frustration about the Apple TV deal, with one team executive recently saying that MLS needs to “end the deal” entirely.
In the absence of publicly available data, it’s difficult to discern just how successful these efforts have been. Though, out of everything the league has done, the EA Sports FC Mobile partnership might give the league its widest reach, especially among a younger audience.