This Saturday, Apple TV will make broadcast history when it streams a live Major League Soccer match captured entirely on iPhone 17 Pro. It marks the first use of just a smartphone to shoot a whole major professional live sporting event, the iPhone giant said Thursday.
MLS match captured entirely on iPhone 17 Pro
The milestone broadcast features MLS‘s LA Galaxy taking on the Houston Dynamo FC on May 23, Apple TV said. It streams live from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The match falls on the final weekend of MLS regular-season play before the league pauses for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America.
iPhone 17 Pro cameras will be positioned throughout the venue to capture every phase of the action. That includes team warmups on the pitch, player introductions, in-net goal angles and the atmosphere inside the stadium. The small form factor of iPhone makes it possible to mount cameras in angles that traditional broadcast equipment simply can’t reach, delivering viewers perspectives that would otherwise be impossible, Apple said.
From highlight reel to full broadcast
Photo: Apple
Apple has steadily built toward this moment. The company first incorporated iPhone into a live sports workflow during a September 2025 Friday Night Baseball matchup between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. It used iPhone 17 Pro for select moments and cinematic stadium footage. That production earned a notable accolade: the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum added one of the iPhones used in the broadcast to its permanent collection.
Following strong fan response, Apple expanded iPhone’s role to additional sports broadcasts, including the MLS Cup in 2025. Then it became a regular part of the production rotation for Friday Night Baseball and MLS matches throughout the 2026 season. Saturday’s Galaxy vs. Dynamo FC match is the culmination of that progression. iPhone goes from supporting player to the sole camera system for an entire live professional game.
“iPhone 17 Pro features three 48-megapixel Fusion cameras, offering the equivalent of eight lenses in a compact body,” Apple said. “The broadcast will make use of Apple Log 2, a pro-grade video format that preserves a wide dynamic range for post-production flexibility.”
What to watch for on Apple TV
MLS match captured entirely on iPhone 17 Pro: LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo FC — Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. PT.
For Apple fans tuning in, the broadcast is as much a showcase of iPhone’s camera capabilities as it is a soccer match. The production promises the image quality viewers already expect from Apple TV’s sports coverage alongside dynamic new angles made possible by the phone’s compact size — including in-net perspectives that conventional broadcast cameras can’t occupy during live play.
Apple TV subscribers in more than 100 countries and regions get every MLS match with no blackouts, in-depth coverage, analysis, and exclusive content. New subscribers can take advantage of a one-week free trial to catch Saturday’s historic broadcast.
Apple TV is available by subscription for $12.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.
In November 2019, Apple TV “became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 797 wins and 3,431 award nominations and counting,” the service said.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
