Sources have told Sports Business Journal that MLS Season Pass is approaching 1 million subscribers ahead of an expected massive boost thanks to Lionel Messi who, in his first two games with Inter Miami is clearly a man amongst boys. The nearly 1 million subscriber number includes season-ticket holders who are provided access as part of their purchase. In early June, those same sources told Sports Business Journal that the MLS Season Pass subscriber base stood at 700,000. So, roughly 100K subscriber additions per month prior to Messi’s earthshaking arrival.
John Ourand and Alex Silverman for Sports Business Journal:
Nearly five months into its first season with Apple holding its media rights, MLS executives and owners — both publicly and privately — said they are happy with the results so far.
And with Messi active for the second half of the year, they all believe results will be turbocharged. “It’s still early in the relationship, but so far, we couldn’t be more thrilled,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.
MLS executives spent last week in D.C. saying the numbers they have seen have beat expectations…
Gary Stevenson, deputy commissioner and managing director of MLS business ventures, pointed to the high quality of Apple’s production as another selling point for the new deal, especially considering the low production values for previous years’ games on regional sports networks.
Stevenson mentioned that games were being produced in 1080p, which provides for clear, high-definition video. League games are produced in three languages, not including radio broadcasts. Apple produced a graphics package that gives productions a more modern look and feel.
Then there’s the multiview channel that shows more than one game on a single screen. “We heard from fans that they wanted multicast,” Stevenson said. “We had it up and running in a month.”
In the United States, an MLS Season Pass subscription costs $12.99 per month or $79 for the season – $39 for mid-season subscription now (renews at $79 next year) – if you are already a subscriber to Apple TV+. If you do not subscribe to Apple TV+ (you should; it’s great), the MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 per month or $99 for the season – $49 for mid-season subscription now (renews at $79 next year). Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share the subscription using their own Apple ID and password.
The service is not restricted to the United States, with subscriptions available in over 100 countries, including Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Australia. For prices outside of the United States, check out this article from The Sporting News.
MacDailyNews Take: Watching Messi play in these first two Leagues Cup games is like watching Picasso dropped into a Kindergarten finger-painting class. The differences between Messi’s play and the play of the average MLS player is stark and very fun to watch. Messi will at least double MLS subscribers before this season ends.
As we wrote in early June of the pending deal:
[This is] multiple times bigger than David Beckham joining LA Galaxy in 2007. (As part of his deal, Beckham received the option to purchase an MLS expansion team for $25 million after he finished his playing career, which he did: Inter Miami.)
Messi to Inter Miami [will] be an immeasurable boon to MLS, Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, football (soccer) in America, and, of course, Inter Miami (currently dead last in the MLS Eastern Conference; funnily enough, the same spot LA Galaxy currently occupies in the Western Conference. It seems as if all of the stars are somehow aligned).
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