As well as announcing the doubling of the subscriber base, Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas also called out the growing fanbase of viewers tuning into the Spanish language streams on MLS Season Pass (all MLS games are broadcast in English and Spanish, with separate broadcasting teams.)
Mas said that more than half the viewers of Messi’s matches are watching in Spanish, implying Messi’s association is growing the reach of the league internationally as well as in the US.
The Messi Effect is real! ???? Subscribers to #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV have more than doubled since Messi joined @InterMiamiCF. Also, Spanish language viewership on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV has surpassed over 50% for Messi matches and continues to rise. How exciting for a truly…
— Jorge Mas (@Jorge__Mas) August 10, 2023
Apple previously announced that MLS Season Pass had broken viewership records three times in the week of Messi’s inaugural matches.
Industry sources have indicated that MLS Season Pass was close to reaching the 1 million subscriber milestone before Messi’s arrival. Factoring that into today’s announcement of subscribers doubling would suggest MLS Season Pass now has more than 2 million paying subscribers.
MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 / month, or $12.99 / month for Apple TV+ subscribers. A whole season pass costs $99, or $79 for Apple TV+ subscribers. The groundbreaking Apple and MLS partnership runs through 2032.