Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami last July has garnered significant interest in Major League Soccer, and a new report from the Wall Street Journal showcases the scale at which the Argentinian player affected the viewership of the MLS.
According to the report, Apple has seen at least 110,000 new sign-ups to the MLS Season Pass on its Apple TV+ platform in a single day. The reported data, collected and analyzed by Antenna, shows a massive spike in new sign-ups to the Season Pass on July 21, the day Messi made his debut and first official appearance as an Inter Miami player.
To put this into perspective, Antenna reports that just over 6,000 new subscribers were observed a day before on July 20 and that the reported 110,000 figure exceeded the number of subscribers who joined the Season Pass on the first day it became available in addition to the current season’s opening day.
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The number of new sign-ups also affected Apple TV+, with WSJ reporting that July was “the strongest month for new U.S. customers this year” for Apple’s streaming service. It’s important to note that the data analyzed by Antenna is limited to the US only, likely meaning that the number of new TV+ and MLS Season Pass subscribers worldwide is much higher than the reported figures.
The news comes following Apple’s announcement of a second TV+ docuseries centering around Messi’s debut in the MLS with Inter Miami following his FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 win with Argentina. Apple CEO Tim Cook also acknowledged Messi’s effect on the MLS Season Pass, stating “We are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit” during the company’s fiscal Q3 earnings result.
The MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+ provides fans in 100 countries with the opportunity to stream all MLS and League Cup games on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, in addition to a selection of smart TVs and gaming consoles. MLS Season Pass is available as an additional subscription on top of Apple TV+ at $12.99 per month and $79 per season, or $14.99 per month and $99 per season for those who aren’t TV+ subscribers.
