NEW YORK (Wednesday, February 15, 2023) – Apple and Major League Soccer today shared their live event production plan for MLS Season Pass, designed to elevate the viewing experience by expanding access to MLS programming, enhancing video and audio quality, and engaging fans more than ever before. MLS Season Pass, the unprecedented subscription service on the Apple TV app, will feature every match of the MLS regular season, Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup1 all in one place, with more consistent match times and no blackouts — a first in live sports broadcasting. Fans can watch a variety of on-demand content on MLS Season Pass now to get ready for MLS’s season kickoff on February 25.
Fans will enjoy enhanced production quality when watching matches on MLS Season Pass, which will feature more camera angles, 1080p video, Dolby 5.1 audio, and enhanced data and graphics in live match coverage all season long for better field coverage, replays, and storytelling around the clubs and players. A vibrant new graphics package for MLS Season Pass will bring MLS clubs to the forefront and provide new and exciting opportunities to incorporate storylines, stats, and advanced data visualizations.
For the first time, MLS fans can tune in to dedicated studio programming to preview weekly matchups, dissect key moments, and hear compelling stories from around the league all season long. Before each match, viewers can enjoy “MLS Countdown,” a pregame show available in English and Spanish. “MLS 360,” a new whip-around show, will provide live look-ins from every match, and feature every goal, penalty kick, and big save, as well as analysis and discussion. Fans can get a full recap of the day’s action via “ MLS Wrap-Up” — live postgame coverage available in English and Spanish.
Spearheading MLS Season Pass coverage is a talented team of more than 80 accomplished announcers and soccer legends presenting to fans in English and Spanish, plus French for matches involving Canadian clubs. They represent 21 different countries and nationalities, and in total have covered more than 75 World Cups, 30 Champions League finals, 30 Olympics, and innumerable Premier League, LaLiga, and Bundesliga matches. Together, they make up one of the largest collections of on-air talent by a single network or service covering soccer and any major sports league.
Live match and studio productions will be supported by a pair of global industry leaders: NEP Group and IMG. Together, they will power event production for over 900 matches representing over 2,000 hours of live coverage, as well as production of live studio programming on MLS Season Pass.
All MLS and Leagues Cup live matches will be produced at MLS stadiums, including on-site talent, using a fleet of production units to produce simultaneous coverage of up to 14 matches each game night. Live studio programming will be created at a newly rebuilt production facility in New York City with a trio of state-of-the-art studios that will serve as the central hub for all MLS Season Pass studio programming.
All matches will feature commentary in English and Spanish, while matches involving Canadian teams will also have French commentary. Fans in the US and Canada will have the option to select their home team’s radio broadcast for audio on the Apple TV app where available. Viewers will also have the ability to watch any match from the start, no matter when they tune in, and have access to the full game replay immediately after the match has ended. Additionally, MLS Season Pass features a vast library of MLS classics, historic and current match replays, highlights, and club-produced content that is updated weekly.
Additional free matches will be added regularly throughout the season.
“MLS 360” Talent
“MLS 360,” the service’s new live whip-around show, will be led by accomplished studio hosts Liam McHugh and Kaylyn Kyle, who will be joined by the dynamic analyst duo of former teammates Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips. Rules expert Christina Unkel will round out the show’s talent roster.
“MLS Countdown” and “MLS Wrap-Up” Talent
Jillian Sakovits and Andrew Wiebe will serve as hosts of “MLS Countdown” and “MLS Wrap-Up,” the English-language pre- and postgame shows, and they will be joined by analysts Nigel Reo-Coker, Calen Carr, Shep Messing and Matt Doyle. Tony Cherchi and Stefano Fusaro will host the Spanish-language pre- and postgame shows, and they will be joined by analysts Diego Valeri, Melissa Ortiz, and Chelsea Cabarcas.
Play-by-Play and Analyst Teams
More than 60 play-by-play announcers and expert analysts will be in the booth calling matches each week. Their expertise and passion for the game will keep fans entertained and informed throughout the season.
MLS and Apple today unveiled the following announcer pairings for the start of the 2023 MLS season:
English:
- Jake Zivin and Taylor Twellman
- Kevin Costigan and Maurice Edu
- Kevin Egan and Kyndra de St. Aubin
- Steve Cangialosi and Danny Higginbotham
- Eric Krakauer and Lloyd Sam
- Jenn Hildreth/Chris Wittyngham and Lori Lindsey
- Blake Price and Paul Dolan
- Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth
- Mark Followill/Chris Wittyngham and Danielle Slaton
- Andres Cordero and Jamie Watson
- Callum Williams and Calen Carr
- Tyler Terens and Devon Kerr
- Tony Husband and Ross Smith
- Mark Rogondino and Heath Pearce
- Ed Cohen and Greg Sutton
- Adrian Healey and Cobi Jones
Play-by-play announcer Nate Bukaty and analysts Tony Meola and Warren Barton are also regular members of the team.
Spanish:
- Pablo Ramírez and Carlos Ruiz
- Jorge Perez Navarro and Marcelo Balboa
- Juan Arango and Carlos Suarez
- Sergio Ruiz and Miguel Gallardo
- Moisés Linares and Jaime Macías
- Bruno Vain and Andrés Agulla
- Jose Hernandez and Eduardo Biscayart
- Ramses Sandoval and Walter Roque
- Rodolfo Landeros and Martín Zuñiga
- Raúl Guzmán and Sonny Guadarrama
- Adrian Garcia Marquez and Francisco Pinto
Francisco X. Rivera, Pablo Mariño and Maximiliano Cordaro will be regular match analysts. In addition to their studio hosting duties, Fusaro will handle play-by-play and Cherchi will serve as a match analyst.
French:
- Frederic Lord and Vincent Destouches
- Matthew Cullen and Sébastien Le Toux
- Olivier Brett and Patrice Bernier
French analyst Matthias Van Halst is also a regular member of the team.
About MLS Season Pass
MLS Season Pass is available to fans in over 100 countries and regions, and is on billions of devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, game consoles. The launch of MLS Season Pass marks the official kickoff of the 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple, a historic first for a major professional sports league.
Fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app for $14.99 per month during the season or $99 per season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99 per month and $79 per season. A subscription to MLS Season Pass is included with each full-season ticket account. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share the subscription using their own Apple ID and password. To subscribe to MLS Season Pass, customers must update to iOS 16.2 or later, iPadOS 16.2 or later, tvOS 16.2 or later, and macOS Ventura 13.1 or later.
Follow MLS Clubs on the Apple TV App and Apple News
With iOS 16, Apple introduced a new My Sports section on the Apple TV app across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for users to easily follow their favorite clubs, teams, and leagues. Fans can be directed right to the Apple TV app and follow their favorite Major League Soccer clubs, and get alerts before upcoming games, follow scores in real time, and more. My Sports also makes it easy to get personalized, real-time coverage from Apple News. Fans can stay up to speed with the best stories from top publications — plus get live scores, schedules, standings, and highlights.
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer — celebrating its 28th season in 2023 — features 29 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, including 2023 expansion team St. Louis CITY SC. Starting on February 1, 2023, all MLS, Leagues Cup, and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches can be watched through MLS Season Pass, available on the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web . MLS Season Pass will feature the most expansive and accessible lineup of programming ever for MLS fans.
About NEP
You have a vision. We see it through. With a worldwide network of experts and cutting-edge technology, our unique Global Production Ecosystem empowers content creators and rights holders to tell stories in breakthrough ways. We’re built on 35 years of trusted experience across broadcast, live event, and virtual production to deliver the solutions you need — anytime, anywhere. Headquartered in the United States, NEP has operations in 25 countries with over 5,000 employees. Together, we have supported productions in over 100 countries on all seven continents, and we’re still growing. Learn how we help our clients bring content to life.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world’s greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.
1. This excludes Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup for viewers in Mexico.
QUOTES FROM KEY EXECUTIVES ON MLS SEASON PASS PRODUCTION
Gary Stevenson, Major League Soccer’s deputy commissioner and president of MLS Business Ventures.
“MLS Season Pass is a global project that required assembling a team of the most talented and accomplished leaders in every aspect of the broadcasting industry from all over the world. Our focus, with our partner Apple, is delivering an exceptional level of quality and storytelling that entertains and engages MLS’s passionate fans, improves their experience, and engages new fans through the reach of Apple and MLS Season Pass.”
Mike Werteen, NEP Group’s global president of broadcast services
“MLS has always had a clear vision for the fan experience they wanted to create, and it’s been such an honor to work with them and the team at Apple to build a technical solution to bring MLS Season Pass to life. Utilizing NEP’s connected platform, we bring six locations together to deliver every MLS game, allowing for specialized feeds and studio integration for a complete capture-to-distribution solution. There are up to 100+ feeds each game day routing through our data centers, production hubs , and studio facilities. I’m proud of our team’s ingenuity in taking something very complex and building an elegant solution that makes it all seem easy. That’s no small feat.”
Barney Francis, IMG Productions’ executive vice president and head of global production
"We are excited to be part of this transformative new partnership between MLS and Apple, and we look forward to bringing the highest level of innovation to their live coverage for fans globally. Being chosen for this large-scale production is a testament to our industry-leading experience, expertise, and excellence in producing live soccer matches for audiences around the world. It also marks an important milestone in the global expansion of IMG’s production business with the launch of our new base in North America.” |
