AppleTV+ hopes Messi deal will move the streamer into the global big leagues. After almost four years of huge investments, how much longer will Tim Cook wait for profits?

Hollywood is keeping watch on Messi's rev talks share with Apple.

Photo by Zesan H. on Unsplash

This morning Apple buzzed a notification to millions of iPhone users around the world, sharing that soccer star Lionel Messi had officially arrived at US soccer league MLS. The famous Argentinian player who won the World Cup last year, is joining Inter Miami in a deal worth as much as $60 million per year. 

Why should iPhone users care about that? AppleTV+ is set to stream MLS games later this month after it spent $2.5 billion for exclusive rights for the next ten years. The hope is that passionate Messi fans will be glued to MLS Season Pass on AppleTV+ and maybe they’ll check out “Ted Lasso,” in the process.  

Oliver Schusser, the former head of International and Apple Music, took over responsibilities for global streaming and sports in January. He has been hard at work making 2023 a pivotal year by moving Apple TV+ from a niche streaming home for Hollywood’s most expensive pet projects to a real competitor in streaming with a global mass audience to serve up to advertisers.   

Still under discussion between Messi, MLS and Apple, is the revenue share model that would see Messi take a slice of each new subscriber to MLS Season Pass which is $14.99 per month. (It’s a unique deal-point that has at least one Hollywood talent agency chief telling The Media Mix that it could be a new model for writers and actors currently on strike over the lack of long term incentives.)