Lionel Messi has been a phenomenon in the United States, both on and off the pitch. The Argentine genius has played 11 games for his new employers Inter Miami so far, scoring a staggering 11 times and providing five assists across competitions. With him leading the charge, Miami won their first-ever silverware in August, snatching the Leagues Cup at finalists Nashville SC’s expense. The Herons have not tasted a single defeat since Messi’s arrival, winning 10 games and drawing one.
Over 110,000 U.S. Viewers Bought MLS Season Pass On Lionel Messi’s Debut
Everyone expected the MLS viewership to soar as soon as Inter Miami announced Messi’s arrival, but even the most optimistic individual could not have predicted what we are currently seeing. According to the data procured from Antenna (via The Wall Street Journal), more than 110,000 U.S. subscribers purchased Major League Soccer (MLS) Season Pass on July 21, the day Messi made his debut for Inter Miami in the 2-1 Leagues Cup victory over Cruz Azul. The day prior, only 6,143 people had subscribed to the MLS Season Pass. Needless to say, the spike on July 21 was considerably higher than the day Apple made MLS Season Pass available and the first MLS game of the season was played.
Apple benefits from Messi Magic In the U.S.
Apple, which holds the exclusive rights to the MLS Season Pass, also rode on the Messi wave, with its $6.99/month Apple TV+ subscription seeing a year-best surge in July. In August, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook addressed TV+’s ever-increasing subscriber spike, giving Messi due credit.
He said:
“We are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit.”
According to journalist Joe Pompliano, Messi ensured over 288,000 U.S. signups for MLS Season Pass during his first month (July). Before the Barcelona icon came along, MLS Season Pass was averaging just 39,000 signups over the last three months. With so many new viewers tuning into MLS through Apple TV+, a good chunk have also subscribed to Apple TV+. As per Pompliano, 15% of MLS Season Pass subscribers also purchased Apple’s $6.99/month offering.
Apple currently sells MLS Season Pass for $14.99 per month or $49 per season to those who do not have Apple TV+. Those who do, can get it for $12.99 a month or $39 per season.
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