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Revenue Operations · Explainer

What Is the MLS-Apple Deal, and What Did the Messi Effect Actually Change in 2027?

By Kory White · Updated Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Lionel Messi in an Inter Miami pink number 10 shirt during an MLS match
Direct answer

The MLS-Apple deal is a global streaming agreement that took effect in 2023 and was originally a 10-year, $2.5 billion contract that made Apple TV the home of every MLS match. In November 2025 the two sides reportedly revised it: the paid Season Pass was dropped after 2025, all matches moved into the standard Apple TV subscription for 2026, and the deal is now set to end after the 2028/29 season, three and a half years early.

Messi clearly moved the numbers in the first year: Antenna counted about 110,000 U.S. Season Pass sign-ups on the day he first played for Inter Miami. But none of the reporting read for this page says Messi caused the 2025 revision, so that link is not claimed here. Apple and MLS have never published Season Pass subscriber totals, so none are given.

Figures below were read from dated news and Apple pages on October 21, 2026. The revised payment terms come from press reports citing sources, not from an Apple or MLS release.

What the original deal was

Front Office Sports describes the original Apple rights deal as a 10-year, $2.5 billion agreement struck in 2022 that took effect in 2023. Under it, Apple sold MLS games through a separate add-on, the MLS Season Pass, on top of a regular Apple TV subscription.

That article lists the Season Pass at $14.99 per month, $99 per season, or $79 on top of an Apple TV subscription, with standard Apple TV at $12.99 per month or $99 per year. Those were the prices when the pass was ending in November 2025.

What changed for fans: the Season Pass is gone

ESPN reported on November 13, 2025 that the Season Pass would conclude after the 2025 season and that from 2026 all MLS matches would be available to viewers with an existing Apple TV account. That covers regular-season games, Leagues Cup, the MLS All-Star Game, Campeones Cup and the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Apple's support page confirms it: at the end of the 2025 season the standalone pass is no longer offered as a separate subscription, and from 2026 MLS matches are included with Apple TV at no additional cost.

What changed in the contract: an early end in 2029

9to5Mac, summarizing Sportico's reporting, says the deal was originally set to run from 2023 through 2032 and now ends in 2029. Apple also reportedly gave up its option to terminate after the 2027 season.

SportsPro reported the payment schedule: US$200 million for the 2026 season, US$107.5 million for a transitional five-month season from February to May 2027, and US$275 million for each of the 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons. MLS receives US$50 million more over the same period than it would have without the shortened contract, and Apple can still renew if it wishes.

These payment figures are press reports citing sources. Neither Apple nor MLS has published them in the pages read for this article.

In January 2026, MLS media executive Seth Bacon said the league wants to "grow the scale of our audience together," and he would not say whether early talks about rights beyond 2029 had happened. A schedule shift to a summer-to-spring format begins in summer 2027.

What the Messi effect did measure

The clearest number comes from the analytics firm Antenna, reported by Fox Business on September 5, 2023: about 110,000 U.S. Season Pass sign-ups on July 21, the day Messi first played for Inter Miami, over 280% higher than on the season's start date. Only 15% of cumulative U.S. sign-ups came from the late-February kickoff. Apple CEO Tim Cook said: "the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit."

On viewing, SportsPro reported in November 2023 that MLS said its biggest matches drew more than one million viewers, crediting Messi's arrival for much of the boost. It also noted that Apple and MLS had not disclosed Season Pass subscriber numbers.

In 2025, Garber said the pass was averaging 120,000 viewers per match, and MLS later reported an average of 3.7 million gross live match viewers per week across streaming and linear platforms, a 29% increase over the previous season. Critics have pointed to a lack of transparency around viewing figures.

Where the evidence is weaker

Sports Illustrated reported on December 12, 2025 that a record breaking 4.6 million viewers tuned in to the MLS Cup, but it does not say who measured that total. The only named measurement is Nielsen's panel-only figure of 994,000 viewers on FOX and Fox Deportes. Treat the larger number as unaudited.

Attendance is a separate story. Sports Illustrated reported in April 2026 crowds of 75,824 at Empower Field at Mile High for Colorado Rapids 2-3 Inter Miami and 75,673 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for LAFC 3-0 Inter Miami, and said Inter Miami has played in four of the top 10 attendance records in MLS history. Its own table does not list all four, so check exact rankings against MLS records.

Messi's status and the latest news

beIN SPORTS reported on October 23, 2025 that Messi extended his Inter Miami contract through December 2028. No salary or other terms were given.

The latest item found is operational, not financial: Yahoo Sports reported on October 15, 2026 that Apple TV had intermittent outages on a day with 15 MLS games scheduled, while Messi was playing against New York City FC. MLS said it was aware of an issue that disrupted the broadcast for some users. No cause or duration was given.

Questions people ask

How long is the MLS-Apple deal?

It was a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal that took effect in 2023. According to SportsPro, in November 2025 the sides agreed to end it after the 2028/29 season, three and a half years early, though Apple can still renew.

Do I still need the MLS Season Pass?

No. Apple says the standalone Season Pass ended after the 2025 season, and from 2026 MLS matches are included with an Apple TV subscription at no additional cost.

How many people subscribed to the Season Pass?

Neither Apple nor MLS has disclosed subscriber numbers. The only hard figure found is Antenna's count of about 110,000 U.S. sign-ups on July 21, 2023, Messi's first match, which is a one-day number, not a total.

Did Messi cause the deal to be revised?

None of the sources read says so. They show he boosted sign-ups and viewing in 2023, and that the 2025 revision removed the paywall and shortened the term. The reasons were not published by Apple or MLS.

Sources

Figures were read from the linked pages on October 21, 2026. Revised deal terms are press reports citing sources, and audience numbers are unaudited unless a measurer is named. Check the linked pages for updates.

Top photo: Bryan Berlin / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons