Lionel Messi's arrival stateside has been directly responsible for a staggering increase in subscriptions to Apple's MLS streaming service.
The Argentine icon arrived in the US to significant fanfare during the summer, with an unprecedented level of intrigue surrounding his move. It appears that a worldwide audience has been unable to resist the urge to watch the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner in action, according to new figures.
It has now been reported by the Wall Street Journal that the subscription service has seen an incredible jump in popularity. Following the World Cup winner's move to the US league, the MLS Season Pass had just 6,143 subscribers.
However, by the day of the former Barcelona hero's debut for his new club in the Leagues Cup on August 21, that figure had jumped by a staggering 110,000. This quite astonishing increase means that Apple can now boast approximately 80 times the previous figure.
The streaming service was set up over the course of the summer after Apple won the rights to exclusively show all games from MLS. That also meant that Messi's triumphant tilt at the Leagues Cup was also streamed live via the service, as the veteran forward picked up yet another trophy.
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During the tech giants' August earnings call, Cook previously explained: "We are excited about our MLS partnership, and we're thrilled to see [Lionel] Messi suiting up with Inter Miami.
It's clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit – and so we're very excited about it."
Lionel Messi has been a major draw for Inter Miami since his move to US (Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/Getty Images)The relationship between the megastar and Apple is well-established and a deal was struck with the firm as part of his MLS contract. Essentially, the tie-in means that the Inter Miami talisman has entered a revenue-sharing deal when it comes to the MLS Season Pass.
There is no doubt that the 37-year-old's star power is among the most significant in sport, with the amazing turnout of A-Listers at his most recent match an example of his draw. Household names from the entertainment business including Leonardo DiCaprio and Selena Gomez saw him lead Inter Miami to a 3-1 win over LAFC.
On top of this, fellow sporting icon LeBron James also took his seat pitchside as he watched Messi for a second time as a Vice City player. In addition, bona fide royalty in the form of Prince Harry saw the Herons captain register two assists during the team's vital road victory.
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