Lionel Messi’s global-headline-making entrée into Major League Soccer (MLS) last year not only propelled the league’s profile to new heights, but also fueled substantial growth in the league's sponsorship revenue and viewership. With the 2024 MLS season having kicked off last week, let’s take a closer look at the incredible impact of the “Messi Effect.” 

The Argentinean phenom’s transfer to Inter Miami in 2023 sent MLS team sponsorship revenue soaring to a record-breaking $587M in its 28th season—a 15% increase YoY—with Financial, Healthcare, and Insurance brands leading the spend across 23 sponsorship categories.

Not surprisingly, Messi’s extraordinary influence makes him a marketing powerhouse: 52% of his 2023 partnerships were with sponsors that are active exclusively within MLS, while an incredible 81% of his deals are with brands that sponsor no other US major pro sports athletes.  

Messi's arrival also spurred a spike in the league’s viewership metrics in 2023. MLS saw an unprecedented rise in regular-season attendance to just over 22K average fans per match––a 5% increase over 2022, and the largest percentage jump since 2011––and nearly 11M total attendees for the season.

Turning to broadcast, Apple TV's MLS Season Pass service reaped huge rewards from Messi’s move. His debut match for Inter Miami on July 21 of last year was a historic moment, triggering an astounding 110K new sign-ups on that day alone––making July 2023 Apple's most successful month ever for Apple TV+ subscriptions. The MLS Season Pass subscription count more than doubled a month later, furthering the unprecedented growth trajectory. Meanwhile, an exclusive broadcast of Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United on the Apple TV platform last July saw a 75% viewership uptick versus the prior week’s exclusive broadcast.

Messi’s enormous presence in MLS also offers strategic value for Apple, enhancing the tech giant's investment in live sports content. With over 2M MLS Season Pass subscribers reported in 2023, his arrival boosted both Apple TV’s and the league’s bottom lines, and markedly enhanced MLS' global appeal and sponsorship assets, including jersey patches and digital media exposure. Apple TV’s spike in social media activity––generating more than 14M engagements in co-branded posts with Messi in the last 12 months, nearly double the brand’s overall engagement in 2022––underscores his unparalleled ability to engage fans and attract diverse brands, including the wide array of consumer products that dominate advertising on "MLS on Apple TV." As Messi embarks upon his first full season in MLS, watch this space for more news as the league enters a thrilling new era of sponsorship and viewership growth. 

Discover more from the 2023 MLS season in our MLS Marketing Partnerships 2023 Report, and tune in to the 2024 MLS season on Apple TV to see which brands are making their MLS debut.

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