Raphael Stevens

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Apple subscriptions are exceeding expectations.
On Wednesday, MLS extended his contract through 2027.
The MLS Cup kicks off on Saturday between the New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy.

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber said the state of soccer in the U.S. is strong and Apple subscriptions are exceeding expectations as the league prepares for the MLS Cup on Saturday.
Appearing on the CNBC Sport videocast with Alex Sherman, Garber, who just signed a new contract with MLS through 2027, said more than 12 million fans attended games this year. And that enthusiasm translated to watching games outside the stadium, too.

“We have more subscribers than we and Apple thought we would have. We have more people watching our games,” Garber said.
Apple has not released any subscriber numbers, leading some to speculate that the numbers might not be very strong.
“At some point there’ll be more transparency,” Garber said.
Yet the soccer commissioner said he’s exceedingly happy with the relationship, noting that Apple gives MLS the platform to make every single game a national game. They’ve also streamlined start times, meaning matches now begin at two different times instead of 60 different times to make it easier for fans to tune in.
“We have the ability to have technology and data and multi-stream experiences, things we wouldn’t have been able to do with linear, perhaps even with other streaming services,” Garber said. “So when you can partner with a company like Apple, you have opportunity to solve issues and lean into a better future.”

Meanwhile, Garber is preparing for the 2024 MLS Cup to kick off in Los Angeles on Saturday. But MLS’ crown jewel Lionel Messi will not be playing.
Instead, the LA Galaxy will try to reclaim their place as MLS’s most successful club, having already won a record five MLS Cups. They will play the New York Red Bulls, who are seeking their first-ever MLS Cup and had a dramatic turnaround after finishing last season 26th out of 29 clubs.
“That shows the commitment to, you know, a competition parity that any team could win on any given time,” Garber said.
Garber acknowledged that Messi’s impact on the game has been unprecedented.
“You could see that pink InterMiami jersey everywhere around the world. It’s the No. 1 jersey that Adidas has,” he said.
But he isn’t worried about life after Messi as he points to the exciting pipeline of younger players.
“I think there’ll be another Messi at some point,” Garber said. “And we’ve constantly evolved from having big name players that could could really make a difference and break through this very, very busy market.” More

Prescription fills for blockbuster weight loss medications in the U.S. more than doubled in 2024, even with limited insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket costs for the treatments.
That’s according to new data from drug savings company GoodRx, which examined fill trends and spending patterns for weight loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
It offers more evidence of the insatiable demand for a buzzy class of medications called GLP-1 and GIP agonists, which have hefty list prices of roughly $1,000 per month before insurance or savings cards. 

A combination image shows an injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, and boxes of Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk. 

Prescription fills for blockbuster weight loss drugs in the U.S. more than doubled in 2024, even with limited insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket costs for the treatments, according to data released Thursday by drug savings company GoodRx. 
The figures offer more evidence of the insatiable demand for a buzzy class of medications called GLP-1 and GIP agonists, which mimic gut hormones to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar. That includes Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s obesity treatment Zepbound, which have hefty list prices of roughly $1,000 per month before insurance or savings cards. 

Prescription fills for Wegovy and Zepbound increased by more than 100% and 300%, respectively, since the start of 2024. Zepbound’s jump reflects its first year on the market, as it was approved in the U.S. in November 2023. Wegovy won U.S. approval in 2021.
“It’s just a pretty astronomical increase in sales, and because of that, a lot of eyes are on them around their affordability and accessibility,” GoodRx director of research Tori Marsh said in an interview. 
The data comes from GoodRx’s new Weight Loss Medications Tracker, which examines fill trends and spending patterns in the U.S. for popular weight loss medications. 
The high fill rates come even as just 9% of people with commercial insurance have unrestricted coverage of Zepbound, and 14% have unrestricted coverage of Wegovy, according to GoodRx. That refers to insurance coverage without any additional hoops for patients to jump through, such as prior authorization or higher BMI requirements.
Far higher rates of patients — around 60% to 70% — are under insurance plans with more restrictive coverage of the drugs. But Marsh said out-of-pocket costs can add up, even if a patient has insurance coverage for a weight loss treatment. 

The average insured person taking Zepbound can expect to pay over $2,500 a year in copays for the drug, she said. GoodRx found that people spent $231 on average out of pocket for a monthly prescription of Zepbound from January 2023 to October this year. 
“Insurance is just not the stopgap that it used to be,” Marsh said. 
Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 5 people with commercial insurance have no coverage of at least one branded GLP-1 and GIP agonist prescribed for weight loss. 
GoodRx found that Americans have overspent by at least $200 million by paying the full retail prices for weight loss medications instead of leveraging savings options, such as GoodRx’s coupons or assistance programs offered by Eli Lilly or Novo Nordisk. GoodRx said it calculated the overpayment number based on the average price people could have paid for a drug with a GoodRx discount. 
GoodRx said people without insurance can save an average of $250 monthly, or $3,000 annually, using its coupons for weight loss drugs. 
GoodRx’s data is consistent with other research indicating spotty insurance for weight loss drugs in the U.S. For example, a survey published in October found that less than a fifth of large employers in the country include coverage of those treatments in their health insurance plans. 
The federal Medicare plan also doesn’t cover weight loss treatments unless they are approved and prescribed for another health condition. Research has shown that covering the drugs could significantly raise costs for employers and state and federal governments.
But the Biden administration in November proposed a rule that would allow Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs for patients with obesity. If greenlit by the incoming Trump administration, the rule would significantly expand access to the treatments. More

American Airlines has co-branded credit card deals with Citi and Barclays because of its 2013 merger with US Airways.
Co-branded credit card deals bring in billions for airlines and drive profitability.
The new deal with Citi takes effect in January 2026.

American Airlines planes sit parked at LaGuardia airport on traditionally the busiest travel day, the day before the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving, in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., November 27, 2024. 
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters

American Airlines has inked a long-awaited credit card deal with Citigroup, dropping its other partner, Barclays.
The airline said Wednesday that it expects payments it receives from its co-branded credit card and other partners to grow 10% a year. In the 12 months through Sept. 30, American brought in $5.6 billion from these deals.

CNBC reported in September that the airline was in talks to pick Citi as its exclusive credit card partner.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates. More