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MLP

MLP Reports Significant Growth in First Full Season Post-Merger

by Alex E. Weaver on

"After a volatile and uncertain start, it’s incredible to look back and see what MLP has become," said commissioner Samin Odhwani.

Major League Pickleball just wrapped its first full season since merging with the PPA Tour in late February of 2024.

Today, the league announced "record-breaking season metrics" across the 13-event season, highlighted by ticket revenue, in-person event attendance, and YouTube views.

Some highlights include:

  • Sponsor revenue more than doubled 2024’s total
  • Ticket revenue saw 84% growth
  • Total attendance grew 37% (total of 50 event days)
  • Linear distribution hours more than doubled via national broadcaster and local partnerships
  • Pickleballtv generated a 141% jump in minutes viewed
  • YouTube views increased 230% on MLP’s official channel
  • Social media impressions showed 407% growth on official league handles

Total YouTube views in 2023 were around 2.6 million. In 2025, that number increased to 9.6 million. During that same timespan, total impressions across social media channels went from about 46 million to more than 117 million.

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For more stats, check out MLP's X account.

"After a volatile and uncertain start, it’s incredible to look back and see what MLP has become and can do for the sport of pickleball when given the attention and resourcing it deserves," said MLP Commissioner Samin Odhwani.

"From the staff, to the team owners, to our leadership at MLP, we will look back on the 2025 season as the jumping off point for MLP to become one of the most prominent sports properties in America."
The Columbus Sliders are the 2025 Major League Pickleball Champions
The Major League Pickleball (MLP) Finals took place at Wollman Rink in Central Park, in New York City, where the Columbus Sliders and Las Vegas Night Owls were crowned champions of the 2025 MLP year.

The MLP Finals, held once again at Wollman Rink in NYC's Central Park, also drew strong ratings.

  • TV viewership: CBS’s exclusive broadcast of Finals Match 1 between the New Jersey 5s and Columbus Sliders on Aug. 23 was MLP’s most-watched match ever, averaging 436,000 viewers
  • Ticket revenue: NYC was the highest-grossing event in MLP history, +79% over 2025’s next-highest event
  • Event attendance: Two sellouts helped to generate daily average attendance of nearly 1,700 per day
  • YouTube viewership: Almost 1.5 million views across the 7-day measured event period
  • Social media impressions: Nearly 20 million, a 70% increase vs. the previous single-event record

Finally, the season was punctuated by two new team valuations:

  • The LA Mad Drops’ $13 million valuation set a new record for an MLP majority stake sale
  • The Palm Beach Royals’ $16 million valuation set a new record for an MLP expansion franchise 
MLP Adds New Expansion Franchise, the Palm Beach Royals
The team was reportedly purchased at “the highest team valuation in league history.”

Looking ahead, MLP will host the standalone Edward Jones MLP Cup at Brookhaven Country Club, Friday, Oct. 31 to Sunday, Nov. 2, as part of the 2025 Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships.

The 2026 league calendar and event schedule will be shared in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, here's an early look at possible moves, trades, and other storylines during the offseason.

Alex E. Weaver

Alex E. Weaver

Alex is The Dink's Digital Content Manager. (Have a tip? Hit him up.) His passions used to include hiking, traveling, and spending time with his family. Now all he does is play pickleball.

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