Major League Soccer (MLS) and Beats by Dr. Dre (Beats), the audio brand owned by Apple, have announced a global agreement that designates Beats as the official consumer audio products partner of MLS.
As part of the multi-year agreement, MLS clubs will receive custom Beats headphones exclusively created for the teams. For 2024, Beats has selected eight teams to produce custom headphones for – Atlanta United, Columbus Crew, Inter Miami, LAFC, Nashville SC, NYCFC, St. Louis City SC, and Toronto FC – with more to follow throughout the partnership.
MLS players will also be featured in Beats’ brand marketing campaigns that will be amplified on both Beats and MLS’ platforms. The partnership will highlight the unique intersection between music and sports with players having the opportunity to wear Beats headphones and earphones on the pitch pre- and post-match, according to Beats CMO Chris Thorne.
On May 28, 2014, Apple announced its intention to acquire Beats Electronics for US$3 billion—with $400 million to be paid in Apple stock and the remainder in cash. The acquisition closed on August 1, 2014.
Apple itself has a business relationship with MLS in North America with MLS’ 29th season kicking off on Feb. 21, the second season of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, the second season of Leagues Cup and Copa America taking place in 2024, the Concacaf Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup slated for 2025, and the FIFA World Cup coming to the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 2026.
Fans can enjoy all of the MLS action throughout the 2024 season on MLS Season Pass, available in more than 100 countries on billions of devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com.
