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MLS resorts to an old football tradition to boost viewership in the US

MLS introduces new Sunday Night Soccer to boost popularity of football in the US.

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MLS, Major League Soccer, is growing in popularity in the US, thanks to the signing of international stars like Leo Messi and money injections by Apple, which signed in 2023 a ten-year deal to have the exclusive broadcast rights of the competition. Still, football is not as strong in the US as American football, so Apple has came up with an idea to boost it, called Sunday Night Soccer.

In reality, is not at all an original idea. Although they are now played throughout the weekend, Sunday has traditionally been the day of football in Europe and Latin America, the day where most games of the leagues took place. MLS and Apple has taken that tradition and made it "the American way": each week, one designated game will be broadcast under the banner Sunday Night Soccer, with "enhanced production and dedicated studio programming", bespoke graphics (in English and Spanish) and dedicated pre and postgame shows.

Another big particularity is that this Sunday game will be free to watch for all Apple TV+ subscribers. The rest of the games will be available through the MLS Season Pass, which will be available this year through new options like DirectTV or Xfinity.

The new MLS season starts on February 22. It will be the 30th season of the league, first held in 1996, and coincidentally, it will also have the debut of the 30th franchise, San Diego FC. This new team will also get the honour of starring in the first Sunday Soccer Night, against MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy, on February 23, a match that will also be broadcast live in Times Square.

MLS resorts to an old football tradition to boost viewership in the US
Ringo Chiu / ShutterStock

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