Lionel Messi's impact for Inter Miami on the pitch has been impressive, with goals and assists all over the place that have fans dreaming about a chance to be included in the MLS Playoffs.
Added to that, league execs have to be ecstatic about the Argentine's arrival, as their partnership with Apple TV has thrived ever since the footballer made his debut with the team from Florida.
Reports from Antenna and the Wall Street Journal have revealed Messi's huge impact for subscriptions to MLS Season Pass, the service launched in 2023 to cover all MLS games. With "La Pulga" on board, the platform has seen over 300,000 new subscribers joining to see his games during his first month with Inter Miami, and those numbers are bound to increase as things stand.
Antenna has reported that on July 21, the date when Messi played his first match with the Herons, the platform reported over 100,000 new subscribers. To put things in perspective, MLS Season Pass reported only 6,143 new signups the day before his debut.
The same thing happened days later, when Miami played against Atlanta United, with the streaming service getting 65,000 requests to sign up.
Apple and Major League Soccer signed a ten-year deal to have exclusive coverage of all MLS games, leaving only a handful of matches to be aired on linear networks within the U.S. and Canada. It is yet to be seen how big Messi's impact for the league will be, but if he can keep up his performances, the deal between the league and the streaming service could become one of the most lucrative in broadcasting history.
