• by Colin Kirkland , March 17, 2023

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese internet company Bytedance, has announced a multiyear partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS), offering TikTok users exclusive content, in-app programing, highlights, in-stadium activations and more.

Throughout the upcoming season, users will be able to search “MLS” -- the premiere men’s professional national soccer league featuring 29 Clubs across the U.S. and Canada –– on TikTok, granting them access to the “MLS Hub,” where they will see new content from players.

Fans will be able to integrate MLS content and clips into their own content they create and share on the app. In addition, creators will be able to join the “Club Creator Network,” which pairs TikTok creators with MLS clubs to create content during the regular and off-seasons.

According to a recent statement, TikTok wants to offer its community an “unfiltered view of the sport they can’t get anywhere else” -- and that could include "fan reactions, hilarious edits of game highlights, or behind-the-scenes content from the players and coaches.”

As an official partner of the MLS, TikTok will now be integrated into all MLS games throughout the season via in-stadium branding, and will also be the co-presenting sponsor of the league's esports tournament, eMLS Cup. 

TikTok says that since the MLS joined the app in 2020, it has amassed 1.2 million followers, over 256 million video views and 2.7 billions views for #MLS.

Soccer, in general, has also attracted a following on TikTok with views for #soccer increasing over 500% in the past two years --- from 40 billion in 2021 to over 267 billion today.

TikTok is taking advantage of the attention by not only partnering with leagues like the MLS, but testing a dedicated feed for sports content, which will highlight related content for users.