American soccer fans have not embraced the MLS-Apple partnership as expected over the past two seasons. However, Taylor Twellman, Apple’s top game analyst, believes the future remains promising because Apple listens in ways major TV networks do not. In particular, Twellman recognizes Apple’s attentiveness to MLS fans. As the league embarks on its third season almost exclusively behind the Apple TV+ paywall, Twellman discussed on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast how he sees Apple enhancing the MLS Season Pass product for fans.
Twellman highlighted that these enhancements begin with the schedule changes. “I think Year 3 is actually showing you examples of Apple listening to the fans,” he stated. “The fact that the schedule is now staggered this year—having a standalone game, Sunday Night Soccer—suggests that fans wanted more variety beyond just the one-and-a-half games on Saturday nights, which limited their opportunity to follow the league.” As part ofApple’s top broadcast crew, Twellman is excited to call the first year of Sunday Night Soccer. With the new Sunday primetime offering, Apple and MLS have also staggered the Saturday slate to include start times at 4:30, 7:30, and 10:30 p.m. ET, compared to only two timeslots in previous seasons.
These changes provide more value for MLS Season Pass subscribers. Twellman attributes Apple’s flexibility to its background in consumer electronics and services, noting, “You don’t sell billions of iPhones over the decades by ignoring customer feedback.” He further mentioned, “Apple really does listen to constructive criticism,” contrasting their approach to that of traditional TV partners like ESPN or Fox. “They’re a marketing and product company, so they tend to be more responsive to fan input than a typical television network.”
While it’s important to note that Twellman is an Apple employee, he also pointed to Apple’s willingness to discuss possible alignment of the MLS schedule with the European fall-to-spring calendar as a sign of engagement. However, it might be surprising to see him criticize his employers, especially given recent reports highlighting Apple’s hardball tactics with Fox. The company has been limiting the number of games that network can air featuring Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, raising concerns about whether this is truly what fans desire.
On a positive note, Apple has made commendable strides, such as launching its streaming service on Android devices and making it available for purchase through cable providers this year. This could indicate that the streamer is preparing to be more flexible moving forward, though desperation cannot be ruled out. Reports last year revealed that the MLS Cup Final viewership on Fox was down nearly 50 percent, with potentially as few as 65,000 people watching on Apple TV+.
While Apple deserves recognition for making various changes for the 2025 season, the current situation looks grim. A significant bounce back is needed to validate Twellman’s assertion that Apple is catering to what the fans truly want.
