Watching Leo Messi's expected US debut on TV won't cost as much as seeing it in person, but it's not free.
Apple TV, which is streaming Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match against Mexican team Cruz Azul, is charging as much as $49 for Friday's soccer spectacular. However, that price tag gets you access to MLS Season Pass, Apple's new soccer package that includes in-season games plus the Leagues Cup that kicks off tonight.
Last month, Apple slashed the price of MLS Season pass by half since the season is nearing its end. Subscribers to Apple TV+ can pay $12.99 per month or $39 per month and non-subscribers can pay $14.99 per month or $49 for the rest of the season, which ends in October.
Apple also streams a select number of matches for free weekly (no subscription needed,) but Messi's team isn't yet on the schedule.
The 10-year deal costs Apple $2.5 billion, according to the Financial Times. Matches air internationally without blackouts, so all games have both English and Spanish commentators.
Apple hasn't disclosed viewership figures, but Apple SVP of services Eddy Cue recently said it's doing "much better than forecasted" for the number of subscriptions and viewers.
Messi's signing "makes Apple's media rights deal more valuable than it could have ever imagined," David Rumsey, author of Front Office Sports, told CNN. He said that he's "confident the company would have had to pay a higher fee than the $250 million annual deal it agreed to last summer if Messi was already in the league."
Rumsey doesn't expect Apple's streaming service to buckle under pressure, but he thinks that Friday's game "could easily draw the highest viewership for an MLS game this season."
Messi, 36, is one of the most decorated athletes ever, winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or award seven times and the World Cup with the Argentinian side last year. His deal includes an option for part-ownership of the Miami club and a cut of the revenue from new subscribers of MLS Season Pass, according to multiple reports.
Last Sunday, Apple TV streamed a live unveiling event for free from Inter Miami's stadium, giving fans their first look at the international superstar. Apple has also bought billboards in Miami displaying the goat emoji draped in Inter Miami pink, with the slogan "now on Apple TV."
