MLS ad partnerships soar as Apple TV deal boosts soccer league

While soccer’s World Cup in Qatar currently has the attention of the world, savvy marketers aren’t sleeping on Major League Soccer, the U.S.-based league that has seen clubs, fans and advertising partnerships soar in recent years.

MLS’s momentum “seems unstoppable,” said Bob Lynch, founder and CEO of the sports software platform SponsorUnited, citing a young and diverse audience that’s increased attendance at games by 67% since 2012. The league has lured more than $600 million in league and club sponsorship revenue since 2020, while this season it counts more than 1,750 brand partnership deals with the league, clubs and players. 

The MLS is also benefiting from more high-profile owners and players, including several current players and alumni on the roster of the U.S. Men’s National Team that advanced to the knockout round of the World Cup with a stirring 1-0 victory over Iran on Tuesday.

The number of league advertising partnerships has increased by 500 in the last four years, according to a report issued this week by SponsorUnited.

“What that tells me is there are more brands starting to see the value in it,” Lynch said. “It’s going from a nice-to-have, to something that can stand on its own, and needs to be a part of our advertising mix.”

Earlier this year, Apple TV inked a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal to broadcast all MLS games beginning in 2023. It has given MLS advertisers “huge credibility” by aligning with Apple and trading off its brand affinity, according to Lynch.

“If you're a brand looking to do business with MLS, having those relationships differentiates from the standard broadcast partners that other sports leagues have been with. And if nothing else, it’s a different platform to reach people.”

Founded in 1993, MLS is the fastest-growing soccer league in the world, having more than doubled in size to 28 teams over the last 15 years. And though once a kind of glorified seniors tour for European pros, MLS today has begun to attract top talent at the peaks of their careers such as Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC) Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy) and Cristian Arango (LAFC). (Lionel Messi’s representatives shot down a rumor circulating at the World Cup that the Argentine star was close to a deal with the MLS’s Inter Miami club).

Their arrivals have come on the heels of high-profile investors in the sport such as New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Pro soccer legend David Beckham owns the Inter Miami club; notable team investors include Matthew McConaughey (Austin FC); Patrick Mahomes (Sporting KC); Magic Johnson and Will Ferrell (LAFC) and Reese Witherspoon (Nashville SC).

Among MLS’s new sponsors are several foreign brands looking to expand in the North American market. They include Asahi beer, which partnered with three Canadian MLS clubs in 2022; and Inter, a Brazilian bank that promoted its cross-border payment solution that played off New York City Football Club’s Brazilian star players such as Talles Magno and Gabriel Pereira.