MLS Commissioner Says League Was 'Way Early' on Apple TV Streaming Deal

I’ve been watching MLS on my Firestick 4K Max since the original Apple TV deal launched in 2023 — and for three years, the Season Pass setup felt like paying rent twice. You already subscribed to Apple TV+, then they hit you for another $99 just to watch soccer. It was clunky, confusing, and it frustrated fans in a way that didn’t match the premium streaming experience Apple was selling.

Turns out, MLS Commissioner Don Garber agrees. At a recent Sports Business Journal conference, Garber said the league was “way early” on the standalone Season Pass subscription model — calling it a misstep. His words, not mine. And starting in 2026, the deal actually changed: all MLS matches are now bundled into a standard Apple TV+ subscription at no extra cost. No Season Pass. No double-dipping.

Here’s what that means for you on a Firestick, what actually changed in the deal, and how to get MLS streaming on your Fire TV today.

What Garber Actually Said — and What It Means

At the Sports Business Journal conference in early 2026, Garber’s quote was pretty specific: “In light of what we know today, we would do the same deal other than the subscription.”

That’s commissioner-speak for: the Apple partnership is working, but making fans pay a separate $99/year Season Pass on top of their existing Apple TV+ subscription was a mistake. Three years of viewership data backed him up — free access to 200+ regular-season games during the 2025 playoffs drove measurably higher engagement.

The restructured terms:

• The original 10-year, $2.5 billion deal (2023–2032) was shortened to 7 years, running through 2029
• Apple waived a 2027 opt-out clause
• Apple is paying MLS approximately $50M extra through 2029
• Apple is paying $100M+ for a 2027 “sprint season” tied to MLS’s calendar shift to fall-spring scheduling
• Starting 2026: every MLS match — regular season, Leagues Cup, All-Star, Campeones Cup, playoffs — is included with a standard Apple TV+ subscription

No blackouts. Available in 100+ countries. One subscription.

Current Pricing Breakdown

• Apple TV+ Individual: $9.99/month or $99/year
• Apple TV+ Family Plan: $19.99/month (up to 6 users)
• MLS: Fully included, no add-on fee
• Season Pass: Discontinued after 2025

For context, that $9.99 gets you MLS, MLB Friday Night Baseball, Formula 1 coverage, and Apple’s original programming like Ted Lasso. Compare that to the pre-2026 setup where you paid $9.99 plus $99/year for MLS alone — the new model is a genuine improvement.

One bonus: if you buy a full-season MLS ticket package in 2026, a complimentary Apple TV+ subscription is included.

How to Watch MLS on Firestick in 2026

Here’s the part that’s still annoying: the Apple TV app is not available in the Amazon Appstore. You have to sideload it. It’s not hard, but it’s an extra step that’s frankly unnecessary in 2026 — and one of the things Reddit’s r/fireTV community complains about constantly (1.2K upvotes on “why no Appstore?” as of April 2026).

The good news is the process is stable and works reliably once you do it.

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Is the Apple TV App Actually Good on Firestick?

I tested the current version (5.2.3, April 2026) on my Firestick 4K Max. The short version: it’s better than it used to be, but not perfect.

The multi-view feature — up to 4 simultaneous games on screen — is genuinely impressive on a 4K panel. 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and Atmos works as advertised when your hardware supports it. The April 2026 patch fixed the login sync issues that were causing “Season Pass expired” errors for users who had transitioned from the old subscription model, which was the biggest complaint in the r/cordcutters community post-2026.

What still needs work: Alexa voice search integration is weak. Saying “Alexa, show me MLS games” does nothing useful. You’re navigating with your D-pad every time. On older Firestick hardware (Lite, 3rd Gen), 4K MLS content can stutter during high-action moments — if you’re on older hardware, the Apple TV app will surface this limitation faster than most apps.

How Does Apple TV Compare to the Alternatives?

The honest comparison: Apple TV+ wins on completeness and price — it’s the only service with zero blackouts on every single MLS match, and at $9.99/month it’s a fraction of what FuboTV charges. The catch is that FuboTV and YouTube TV install natively from the Amazon Appstore, which is a meaningfully smoother experience on Fire TV. If you’re already paying for a cable-replacement bundle for other sports, adding Apple TV+ makes more sense than switching to it as your primary service.

ESPN+ is worth mentioning only to dismiss it for MLS purposes: post-2026, Apple holds the exclusive, and ESPN+ carries select games at best. It’s not a full alternative.

The Bigger Picture: Was the Apple TV Deal a Mistake?

Garber’s “way early” comment is worth unpacking. The Season Pass model — a separate subscription on top of Apple TV+ — was genuinely out of step with how streaming was moving. Every major platform was collapsing into bundled pricing. Charging MLS fans twice was always going to create friction.

But the underlying deal structure wasn’t the problem. The 10-year exclusive with Apple gave MLS something it had never had: a single, coherent streaming destination. No regional sports network complexity, no partial rights split across four providers. The Season Pass was the one misstep in an otherwise logical framework.

The 2026 restructure fixes the main complaint without unraveling the partnership. The deal now runs through 2029 instead of 2032 — shorter term, but Apple is paying an extra $150M+ to make the transition happen. MLS gets cash, fans get a simpler subscription, and Apple gets higher viewership numbers (up 25% YOY per May 2026 reports). It’s a reasonable outcome.

Common Issues and Fixes

“Season Pass expired” error after updating: This was widespread in early 2026 during the transition. Update to app version 5.2.3 — the April patch specifically addressed this. If updating doesn’t fix it, sign out of your Apple ID in the app, restart your Firestick, and sign back in.

Buffering during peak hours: On a 3rd-gen Firestick or Lite, 4K MLS streams push the hardware. Drop the stream to 1080p in Apple TV’s settings — it reduces CPU load and usually eliminates stutter. For the 4K Max, use Ethernet rather than WiFi if you’re on a congested network.

VPN blocking content: The Apple TV app does geo-verification for MLS rights. Most VPNs, including Surfshark and NordVPN, will trigger a rights error. Disconnect your VPN before launching the Apple TV app. You can reconnect it for other apps afterward.

DRM sync failures on startup: Usually a restart fixes it. If not, go to Settings → Applications → Apple TV → Clear Cache, then relaunch.

For more Fire TV troubleshooting, see our complete Firestick troubleshooting guide.

What This Means for Firestick Users Going Forward

The practical takeaway: if you’ve been holding off on MLS because the Season Pass felt like a rip-off, the math changed in 2026. $9.99/month for every match, no blackouts, 4K with Dolby Vision — that’s a legitimately competitive streaming offer.

The sideloading requirement remains the friction point. Amazon and Apple’s ongoing relationship means the Apple TV app isn’t hitting the Appstore anytime soon. If you want the smoothest possible experience on Fire TV, check out our guide to sideloading apps on Firestick — it covers the full Downloader workflow and how to keep sideloaded apps updated.

If live sports are a priority beyond MLS, also worth reading our best sports streaming apps for Firestick roundup — FuboTV is the closest full-service alternative if you want native Appstore installation and multi-sport coverage under one bill.

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Last updated: May 2026