In a new GQ interview with Eddy Cue, the Apple exec shares his take on the success of the Apple-MLS deal so far and some commentary on the future of Apple’s contribution to the sports industry.
Cue seems emboldened by the initial response to MLS Season Pass and keen to capitalize on the momentum since Lionel Messi joined the league. You do get the sense though that Apple is on the hunt for something even bigger, when the right deal comes around …
The interview reveals just how much of a sports fan Cue is personally. In fact, at his home he has “nine televisions arrayed in a grid” to tune in to multiple sports at once, along with a separate score ticker display.
“I can’t say I was a rabid MLS fan,” Cue says of his opinion on the soccer league before the opportunity for a partnership came around. He didn’t think the MLS was “big enough,” hinting that Apple’s ambitions in sports streaming are far from satiated. The company is rumored to be interested in bidding for NBA rights when they come up for renewal in 2025.
He says Apple invests a lot in producing the best unscripted content for Apple TV+ – and he sees sports as the greatest unscripted drama out there.
Cue says Apple is not interested in deals that yield a small slice of regional rights. However, the MLS presented Apple with a unique opportunity – not just a package of rights, but rights to all games worldwide for the entire league. The partnership kindled in 2021 when MLS commission Don Garber met Eddy Cue socially in Mexico. Months of negotiations later, Apple would strike its $2.5 billion deal with the MLS in June 2022.
So far, it seems Apple’s service is about matching the previous demand for MLS on linear TV. Apple hasn’t shared subscriber or viewership numbers before, but Cue says in this article that they were “right at the TV numbers or slightly above” … notably prior to Messi’s arrival which gave the league a huge boost.
Cue is taking direct feedback from MLS club owners about how to improve the product. For instance, one owner suggested that the Apple TV app incorporate a view of the league standings.
“One thing I’ve loved is, I’ve had two owners that are on text messages with me every Sunday, giving me feedback,” Cue said. One of them asked why the league standings didn’t appear on the Apple TV app. “And I’m like, oh my God, I can’t believe we’re not doing that. That was last weekend, and it’ll be there this weekend. Look, that was an easy one we could do. Some things are a little harder.”
On a personal basis, Cue jokes that the only thing he was smarter than Steve Jobs about was sports. Over the years, Cue has been approached with various opportunities to become a minor investor in sports teams. But he hasn’t been interested in just being a silent shareholder, and he never had enough money to be able to own a team wholly. But Cue’s passion has found an even “better” avenue through Apple’s increasing foray into the sports industry.
You can read the full interview on GQ’s website.
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