Viewership for the MLS Season Pass is reportedly low, with few subscribers actively watching games, raising questions about the effectiveness of this broadcast model.

Since its launch in 2022, the MLS Season Pass has not attracted the predicted subscriber numbers, indicating a potential failure in the strategy to monetize the league through Apple TV+.

The international linear deals are primarily for Sunday Night Soccer, but fans still need a Season Pass to watch all MLS games, indicating a reliance on subscriptions despite the new broadcasting approaches.

However, the absence of similar linear deals for MLS broadcasts in the U.S. raises doubts about the league's strategy to increase visibility and fan engagement domestically.

MLS is expanding its global broadcast presence by signing several distribution agreements for its new Sunday Night Soccer package with international partners across regions such as Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Spain, Germany, Israel, Malta, and Korea.

This decision to seek linear deals abroad suggests that MLS acknowledges shortcomings in its current strategy, particularly in attracting viewers and subscribers.

These international deals also reflect MLS's concerns about its media rights agreement with Apple, indicating that the Apple deal is not meeting expectations for global reach.

While MLS's Sunday Night Soccer is available on Apple TV+, it lacks the exposure that linear television offers, which limits potential audience growth.

In the U.S., MLS continues to rely on a limited linear package with Fox that does not prominently feature star player Lionel Messi, pushing fans towards streaming services for game access.