MLS Marketing Partnerships Report 2023
Without a doubt, 2023 has been a year for the books for Major League Soccer, a league whose arguably unrivaled momentum has grown exponentially since its 1996 founding. The sky’s-the-limit tone of MLS’ blockbuster 2023 season was set late last year, with the announcement of Apple’s groundbreaking 10-year, $2.5B global partnership with the league, which kicked off in February and allows fans to stream every MLS match through the AppleTV app.
- MLS team sponsorship revenue soared to $587M in its 28th season—a 15% increase YoY
- Lionel Messi wields extraordinary influence: 52% of his brand partnerships are exclusive within MLS
- Sporting Kansas City continues to dominate all MLS teams in sponsorships for the second consecutive year
Methodology:
This report, jointly authored by SponsorUnited's Marketing, Research & Insights, and Analytics department, presents an extensive analysis of over 805 brands, 2,200 sponsorship deals, and 23,000 sponsorship assets involving MLS and its teams, athletes, and brands. This data was obtained from SponsorUnited's proprietary platform and covers the period from February 1, 2023, through November 10, 2023.
Social media data is obtained from branded posts on the MLS league account, and the accounts of the 29 MLS teams across Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook from February 1, 2023, to November 10, 2023. MLS player endorsements are monitored based on the number of times they actively promote or advertise a brand via campaigns and activations within the past 12 months.
About SponsorUnited:
Launched in 2018, SponsorUnited is the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform, delivering actionable data and insights to build stronger marketing partnerships. We provide unrivaled knowledge across the sponsorship and media landscape so our clients can make impactful decisions that drive business.
With over 330,000 brands, 1.6 million deals, and 11.4 million data points across sports, entertainment, media, and talent, our SaaS database enables brands, rights holders, and agencies to partner more effectively. By delivering real-time trends, on-demand research, and the most comprehensive data available, we connect the entire sponsorship ecosystem and are rewriting the partnership playbook.
