On the surface, it's hard to argue with those numbers. If we're comparing per-game viewership, it is clear the numbers don't line up. NWSL average viewership per game is higher than that of the MLS, yet the MLS is making more than 4x as much as the NWSL in broadcast deals. When Apple signed its $2.5 billion, 10-year deal with MLS, it wasn't simply buying eyeballs ' it was strategically acquiring content IP. The deal secured global exclusivity, in-house production control, a subscription engine (MLS Season Pass), and category ownership within its platform. By contrast, the NWSL's $60 million per year deal ' split across CBS, Prime Video, ESPN and ION ' is monumental for a 12-year-old league. But it's structured around traditional advertising, linear windows and shared production responsibilities. With fewer monetizable layers, the resulting deal was a lower headline number. That $60 million per year figure includes production costs, marketing and value-in-kind contributions. Industry...
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