[sjm-lbm]

I'm not assuming Apple demanded it, I'm just wondering aloud why Apple conceded.

This deal is 8x the 2022 MLS TV deal annually, and the current deal doesn't have anything like this. It seems insane to me to imagine MLS telling Apple "8x our current deal and you have to give it to our biggest fans for free."

Who knows, maybe that's what happened, though.

[freck]

Fair enough. But MLS viewership has risen since the last deal. Before this announcement, it was speculated MLS was looking for a $300M/year deal. So it doesn't seem so insane to me.