 "Lionel Messi's Inter Miami vs Atlanta United MLS Cup Playoff match sets Apple TV viewership record")
Argentina forward Lionel Messi has set yet another record in his footballing career. Only that, this time, his record does not have anything to do with goals or assists. Messi made his Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup Playoffs debut for Inter Miami against Atlanta United on Friday (25 October) and that match set the record for the “most widely viewed sporting event” in Apple TV’s history, according to a report in USA Today. Apple, however, did not reveal the official viewership numbers.
Although he did not score any goal during the match, the 37-year-old provided an assist for Jordi Alba’s 60th minute goal. The match was made available for fans across the world through the MLS Season Pass for free, as part of a campaign promoting Messi’s first-ever Playoffs match. Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United 2-1 in the first leg of the Playoffs match in Florida.
LIVE streaming of the match was made available on Apple.com, and a few Apple stores in New York San Francisco and Los Angeles also showed the match, according to the report. Apple stores in countries like Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Korea and Japan also showed the match. The match was also streamed on the TikTok accounts of MLS and Inter Miami through the Messi Cam, where fans can catch an exclusive glimpse of the Argentina superstar.
A total of 150,000 viewers saw the match through the Messi Cam at a time. “We’re getting behind Leo Messi’s historic MLS Cup Playoffs debut in a big way. It’s not just must-see television, but it’s a barometer for the entire postseason on MLS Season Pass,” Emeka Ofodile, Global Head of Sports Marketing at Apple, had said at a press conference last week. “We’ll make this match the most widely distributed match in MLS Season Pass history, bringing this match to as many fans as possible around the globe," he had said.
Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Apple, spoke of on the impact Messi has made on the viewership and subscriptions of the company. “I won’t give you the exact number, but pre-Messi it was very U.S. dominant. Post-Messi, it changed materially,” he had said. “He had a significant number of subscribers from South American and Europe. So, it was a big change," he added.
The second leg of the Playoffs match will be played on Saturday (2 November) in Atlanta.
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