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Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet but it has not quite cracked the US yet. Apple thinks that this will change. They signed a $2.5 billion rights deal last year to broadcast Major League Soccer (MLS) in a subscription package on Apple TV+ for 10 years.
Last week this deal took an interesting turn as Lionel Messi signed for Inter Miami. His package included a revenue sharing agreement with Apple, which is betting that Messi will bring in a massive global audience. He was reportedly being offered $450 million a year by the Saudis, so luring him away from that deal certainly took some out-of-the-box thinking.
I think this is a great outcome for football and Messi. Players like Ronaldo who have ended up in the Saudi league fall into obscurity, because it's not televised in major markets. Thanks to this deal, Messi will remain in the limelight and make the money he deserves. Plus, he can live in Miami instead of Saudi Arabia.
