Phones Canada: Messi’s Impact on Apple’s MLS Season Pass Subscribers
It has been an exciting year for sports fans in South Florida, with notable achievements by teams such as the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, and Miami Marlins. Additionally, Inter Miami, a Major League Soccer team, has seen a surge in popularity due to the presence of superstar Lionel Messi. Since Messi joined the team, Inter Miami has not lost a single game and even won the League Cup, a competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
Interestingly, Messi’s move to Major League Soccer has also had a significant impact on Apple. As we previously reported, Apple secured the streaming rights to MLS for the next decade, making them one of the big winners of Messi’s signing. According to analytics firm Antenna, Apple experienced a substantial increase in new MLS Season Pass subscribers on July 21, the day Messi debuted with Inter Miami. Over 110,000 U.S. subscribers signed up for the MLS Season Pass compared to the 6,143 subscribers the day before.
Jonathan Carson, the CEO of Antenna, remarked on the significance of Messi’s arrival, stating that star-driven sports rarely lead to such a substantial boost in subscribers. Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged Messi’s impact during a recent earnings call, mentioning that the signing exceeded their expectations regarding subscriber numbers.
Furthermore, Messi’s performance with Inter Miami has lived up to expectations, with 11 goals and eight assists in just 11 games. While critics argue that the competition does not match his international career, this does not hinder Apple’s success. The MLS Season Pass is available for $12.99 per month or $25 for the season for Apple TV+ subscribers, while non-subscribers pay $14.99 per month or $29 for the season. Season ticket holders to any MLS club received a complimentary MLS Season Pass subscription this year.
Notably, nearly half of the MLS Season Pass subscribers who signed up between February and July had Apple TV+ subscriptions, indicating strong support for Major League Soccer among Apple device owners. This could be attributed, in part, to the popularity of Apple TV+ original series Ted Lasso, featuring Jason Sudeikis as the titular character, an American football coach hired to lead a soccer club in England despite having no knowledge of the sport.
In terms of streaming rights costs, Apple secured a significant deal for MLS. Compared to YouTube’s $14 billion deal for NFL’s Sunday Ticket and Amazon’s $1.2 billion per season payment for 11 years of Thursday Night Football streams, Apple paid only $2.5 billion for ten years of MLS rights. This price difference can be attributed to soccer’s status as a non-major U.S. team sport.
While the history of U.S. soccer shows temporary boosts in interest due to the presence of world-class players like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, and David Beckham, Apple is optimistic that Messi’s contract until 2025 will create a lasting fan base for U.S. soccer, ensuring long-term viewership of the sport.
Sources:
– The Wall Street Journal
– Antenna Analytics
