Lionel Messi May Receive Cut of Apple TV's MLS Season Pass Revenue

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi today announced his intentions to join MLS club Inter Miami. According to ESPN, Messi's proposed contract terms include a cut of revenue from new subscribers to Apple's MLS Season Pass streaming service.

Apple MLS partnership June 2022
MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 per month, or $49 for the remainder of the season, but Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up for a discounted rate of $12.99 per month or $39 for the remainder of the season. Every MLS match is streamed live through the Apple TV app, as part of a 10-year partnership between Apple and the MLS.

Messi joining the MLS would be the league's biggest signing since David Beckham signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007, and his popularity could help to boost MLS Season Pass subscriber numbers for Apple in the service's inaugural season.

"We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer," the MLS confirmed in a statement shared on Twitter. "Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our League."

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
25 months ago

Great footballer but struggles with tax payments.
Bit like Apple
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FreakinEurekan Avatar
25 months ago
I hear Zava might be willing to come out of retirement too…

Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kierkegaarden Avatar
25 months ago
MLS is about to get Messi.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
patlee2000 Avatar
25 months ago

would that bring him more than the 1.2B saudi proposed ?
My guess, the way he saw it was like "either way, that's more money than I need". So he probably focused on weather, distance to Argentina, lifestyle and public image. To which, Miami would have been the better choice for him.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ammar Aldawood Avatar
25 months ago
Apple pushing to get the GOAT of the biggest sport just in time for the release of their Vision Pro headset. Smart move.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3530025 Avatar
25 months ago
That's great! A pray for him to get some money. He definitely needs it already.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)