Apple has Biggest Streaming Hit Ever: How ‘Ted Lasso’ Could Help Company’s Undervalued Segment

The highly anticipated return of "Ted Lasso" for a fourth season is already a ratings hit and that’s good news for Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL).

"Ted Lasso" Breaks Records

After ending with three seasons in 2023, "Ted Lasso" returned with a surprise fourth season earlier this month.

The series returns star Jason Sudeikis as the title character Ted Lasso, this time returning to the United Kingdom to coach the AFC Richmond second-division women’s team after stepping away from the men’s team at the end of the third season. Similar to the three-year gap between seasons, the gap in the show is also around three years.

In the first two days of the first episode being released on Apple TV, the show had 296.6 million minutes watched, according to data from Nielsen. Variety reports that this makes the fourth season the biggest launch ever for Apple TV.

The total surpasses those of past seasons of "Ted Lasso" and the premieres of "Severance" and "Pluribus," other record-breaking Apple streaming hits.

The minutes viewed translate to an estimate of 7.1 million views during the first two days of availability.

Nielsen data shows that "Ted Lasso" was the most-streamed program across all of the U.S. on Aug. 5 across multiple platforms.

Apple’s Streaming Boost

The timing of "Ted Lasso" returning to Apple TV aligns with the newest season of Major League Soccer.  Apple landed the rights to MLS games in 2022 on a 10-year deal.

MLS viewership was up before the 2026 World Cup and is seeing a boost on non-Apple channels after the World Cup, which could bode well for the technology giant. The U.S. based soccer league has often seen a boost in viewership after the World Cup.

Apple has bet bigger on sports in recent years with MLS rights, certain MLB rights and Formula 1 races in the United States.

Having hit a home run with original series like "Ted Lasso," Apple’s sports rights have allowed it to place greater emphasis on its streaming service.

Apple raised prices on its streaming plan earlier this year and still has the option to launch an ad-supported plan in the future. Apple is one of the limited streaming platforms that does not currently offer an ad-supported plan.

Once viewed as an unprofitable unit of the technology giant Apple, Apple TV has grown in subscribers, monthly fees, and the quality of content it produces. "Ted Lasso" viewership figures are another example of the streaming segment of Apple being undervalued and giving Apple the flexibility to grow the segment through partnerships, acquisitions, price increases, and/or the launch of an ad-supported plan.

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