The season finale from the recently concluded 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign generated strong broadcast viewership and social media engagement, it has been unveiled.
The MLS Cup final on December 6, which saw Inter Miami secure their first-ever triumph after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1, drew over 4.6 million viewers across all platforms globally.
Inter Miami's celebrity links, including Argentine superstar Lionel Messi as club captain and franchise owner David Beckham, helped generate interest in the game.
Of that figure, 3.6 million viewers came from outside the US, via a combination of the Apple TV streaming service, MLS Season Pass, TSN and RDS in Canada, and TNT and HBO Max in Mexico.
In the US, meanwhile, current viewing data has the Fox and Fox Deportes (Spanish-language) broadcasters bringing in 994,000 viewers between them for the game, which took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The league has also recorded that fans from over 100 countries tuned in, and that - on Apple TV - the audience for the final was the youngest ever, with 70% under the age of 45.
In total, across the 29 MLS post-season playoff games, the league attracted an average of 711,000 viewers per game, up 23% from the equivalent number in 2024.
In terms of social media interaction, meanwhile, there were a record 798 million social impressions, MLS has stated, representing a major 532% increase year-on-year.
These figures come following the league reporting record interest - both in terms of media engagement and in-stadium attendance - in the 2025 MLS regular season.
However, they also come following the news in mid-November that the domestic rights tie-up between MLS and Apple will end in mid-2029, three and a half years earlier than originally agreed.
The initial 10-year deal between the North American soccer property and the Apple TV streaming service, unveiled in mid-2022, was due to run through 2032 but has now been cut to a six-and-a-half-year agreement.
The change to the length of the deal was voted through at the same time as the MLS's 30 team owners agreed to change the format of the season (as mentioned above), switching from February-December to July-May.
The league is also dropping the ‘Season Pass’ paywall from its deal with Apple TV, meaning that customers of that service will be able to watch every game through their primary subscription, with no added cost.
Over the last couple of seasons, the rumours from outside the league have repeatedly been that the popularity of Apple TV's MLS offering is low.
