Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami debut attracted 110k new MLS Season Pass subscribers
- Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in summer
- Apple and MLS have been secretive about figures so far
Lionel Messi’s debut for Inter Miami attracted more than 100,000 new subscribers to Apple TV’s Major League Soccer (MLS) Season Pass – the largest spike for a single day since the streaming service launched at the start of the 2023 season.
The Argentinian soccer legend joined the club from French side Paris Saint-Germain this summer and made his first appearance in a Leagues Cup match against Mexican Liga MX outfit Cruz Azul on 21st July.
Data from Antenna shows Apple acquired 110,075 new users on the day of the game and another 65,000 subscribers when Messi played his second match against Atlanta United on 25th July. To put this into perspective, there were 6,143 signups the day before Messi’s debut, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Previous reports have suggested Apple added 300,000 new subscribers in total during the first month of Messi’s MLS career, while it is thought there are more than one million total users.
Antenna’s insights also show that nearly half of those who signed up for MLS Season Pass between February and July 2023 were existing Apple TV+ subscribers. Meanwhile, 15 per cent of new Season Pass subscribers also signed up for Apple TV+.
SportsPro says…
The numbers show the impact that Messi has had on MLS, which is in the first season of a ten-year, US$2.5 billion streaming-only global broadcast deal with Apple that includes the rights to every single match from the US soccer top flight.
It is the first time a major league has moved its entire inventory to a streaming service on a global scale, with only a handful of matches shown on linear television in the US and Canada. It has been considered a radical move by those who believe the league and its teams need wider exposure, but MLS sees Apple’s platform as a foundation for global growth and an opportunity to differentiate.
Both Apple and MLS have indicated they are happy with the performance of the venture in the first few months, but subscriber numbers and viewing figures have been a closely guarded secret – something which has reportedly frustrated team executives who would prefer greater visibility.
Plenty within the sports industry are keeping their eye on the venture and these third-party metrics, especially those considering expanding their streaming presence in the near future – or securing a marquee star to drive viewership.
Apple has been linked with other sports rights, including ATP tennis, the Premier League and the Pac-12 college athletic conference. But its preference for global, comprehensive rights means it is unclear which property is next in its sights.
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