Messi joined MLS’s Inter Miami squad on June 15, shortly before the league took a break in its regular-season schedule to begin its first-ever Leagues Cup tournament. That event—a tournament involving every MLS and Mexican Liga MX franchise—is meant to bring the international soccer rivalry between Mexico and the U.S. to the club level. There are eight teams remaining, including Inter Miami.
“The timing is perfect—we’re launching [Leagues Cup] the same year we’ve launched MLS Season Pass,” said Camilo Durana, executive VP of properties and events at MLS and Soccer United Marketing, the league’s marketing arm, in an interview.
MLS isn’t sharing its Apple TV ratings, but Durana said viewership has exceeded the league’s projections so far. Three games between July 19 and July 26 were the highest-rated matches ever on Season Pass, with viewership roughly split between English and Spanish language broadcasts—illustrating the games’ international appeal.
Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged Messi’s impact while speaking to analysts in an earnings conference call last week. “For MLS, we could not be happier with how the partnership is going. It’s clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us…”