Lionel Messi’s MLS playoff debut was Apple TV’s most watched sporting event ever

On Friday, October 25th, Lionel Messi made his historic MLS Cup Playoffs debut, and fans tuned in for free on MLS Season Pass in droves.

Lionel Messi’s MLS Cup Playoffs debut was the most widely viewed sporting event ever presented via the Apple TV app, Apple said Monday without releasing viewership figures.

USA Today:
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The match was available to live stream for free worldwide via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV behind a massive campaign centered around Messi’s first MLS postseason match, where he failed to score but delivered an assist in Inter Miami’s 2-1 win against Atlanta United on Friday.

It was also streamed live on Apple.com and shown in Apple Stores in major U.S. cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, along with stores in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Korea, Japan and Australia.

As many as 150,000 viewers at a time also visited the MLS and Inter Miami CF TikTok accounts to watch Messi cam, an exclusive player spotlight of Messi during the game. It marked the first time TikTok streamed a live soccer match focused on one player.

Apple signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal in 2022 to begin broadcasting MLS games on Apple TV. Messi’s deal to join Inter Miami and MLS included compensation from Apple TV for international subscriptions sold for MLS Season Pass.

Messi is the highest paid player in MLS, earning $20.4 million in guaranteed compensation by Inter Miami in 2024. It’s a portion of a reported $150 million deal he agreed to in 2023, which included an ownership stake in Inter Miami when he retires. His contract lasts through 2025 with an option for 2026.

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MacDailyNews Take: Unsurprisingly, the G.O.A.T. does G.O.A.T. numbers!

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