Messi & Apple Inc
How Argentinian & International Soccer Star Lionell Messi & Tech Giant Apple have joined forces to change live sports streaming
Apple & Messi
Welcome back and welcome to The Monk Investor Newsletter where we discuss things that impact not only investing but the world let’s jump right into things
To mark Lionel Messi’s anticipated debut with Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer last night on Friday, July 21 Apple brought out all its stops with heavy advertising from posters, commercials, billboards and more. Fans in more than 100 countries and regions tuned in to the match in English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass, It was like watching the start of something revolutionary. So what exactly am I talking about for those of you unfamiliar with this story
By now, most of you reading this have heard of international Soccer or Futbol star Lionel Messi atleast I hope, but if you haven’t. I mean, do I need to list all his accomplishments and achievements like
Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner
2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012. 2015 · 2019 · 2021
FIFA. World Player. 2009.
The Best. Award. 2019 · 2022.
European. Golden Shoe. 2009/10 · 2011/12. 2012/13 · 2016/17. 2017/18 · 2018/19
Should I keep going or is that enough and these achievements listed don’t include Messi’s recent FIFA success at the World Cup with his native country of Argentina. So you get the point, Lionel Mess is an international juggernaut and a big deal. With that said this is not what you came here for, you came to The Monk Investor Newsletter to discuss Investing along with other things that correlate from an economics standpoint. Messi is no longer with his his old ball club, he is now in Miami and his debut match was last night with his new MLS team (Inter Miami) and he put on a show in front of the crowd at sold-out DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The stars were out also, like familiar faces in the audience for Miami's match against Cruz Azul, including Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron tennis icon Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian to name a few. Messi has a reach very few have, he boasts an amazing amount of reach with akin to a rock band such as Bon Jovi, or the Beetles. The reach and global stardom allows Messi to make record amounts of money
Which brings me to the main subject Apple, it’s been rumored Apple Inc was reportedly instrumental in bringing the Argentinian superstar, who is reportedly set to earn $50 to $60 million a year, to the U.S. As part of the profit-sharing agreement, Messi will get a cut of the revenue from new subscribers to Apple TV's MLS Season Pass, according to ESPN. So this means that each new subscriber Messi gets profit sharing and with his international appeal many fans will now be coming over. This brings in more revenue for Apple the company with now recently announced plans to expand its ecosystem with much more than computers, phones, music, health, fitness, etc into sports. So Apple is revolutionizing the way business is ran, and having a smart Ecosystem that runs much more deeper than just Technology. To keep Messi, the greatest player of his generation, from the far greater riches on offer to play in Saudi Arabia, Apple reached an unprecedented deal that will allow the World Cup winner to earn an undisclosed cut from the growth in international subscriptions. Apple signed a 10-year deal with the MLS for global TV rights, and it is going to give revenue-sharing participation to Messi so his only job is to bring in fans from overseas and job completed. This is the rise of media within sports as the driving purpose for Apple and CEO Tim Cook’s vision, it’s no way I could’ve imagined that Steve Jobs the founder would’ve envisioned Apple becoming more than what it was and that’s what makes Apple CEO Tim Cook different from his predecessor because he has the foresight to oversee and expand on the reach of the Apple ecosystem.
Fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app for $14.99 per month during the season or $49 for the rest of the season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99 per month or $39 for the rest of the season.1
It’s been said the pitch from Apple was so good that Messi turned down half a billion (500 Million) to play in South Florida (Miami) this is a shift in Tech, with sports increasingly becoming the centerpiece of streaming platforms’ business strategies such as Amazon Primes involvement in NFL Network games. This is the rise of of media within sports as the driving purpose. There was a study of Nielsen ratings done by Sportico that showed that 94 [out of 100] of the most-watched telecasts in the U.S. were live sporting events. That shows you the untapped growth of live sporting in business models and Apple has always been transcendent in its business model. They might not have been the first to make a computer, music player, or headphones but they’re always the best to do it.
This new Apple partnership with MLS over 10 years has generated significant interest and buzz. Apple wants a role in international and domestic sports specifically Soccer/Futbol which is a bigger sport than any on earth. This marriage of global sport and the global reach of Leo Messi, has potential to do great things and is reminiscent of when David Beckham the international soccer star came to the states to play for LA Galaxy at the time but this is much bigger, Messi not only has more accolades than David Beckham but is more powerful due to the rise of social media in the present day and age than when Beckham came to the states. Let me run you some numbers. Messi, he has three times more Instagram followers than Lebron James which says a lot.
“Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami marks a historic moment for the sport in the U.S. and reflects the incredible momentum behind Major League Soccer,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “We couldn’t be more excited to give fans around the world the opportunity to watch the greatest footballer of all time on MLS Season Pass.”
Apple is helping also by launching ways to keep up with MLS happenings throughout the league, fans can find and follow their favorite MLS clubs in Apple News, and automatically sync with the Apple TV app to watch games with MLS Season Pass. Apple News recently introduced a new Sports tab for users to easily follow their favorite teams and leagues etc.
Ladies and gentlemen Apple is once again showing us all how they’re different. Apple a recently announced 3 Trillion Dollar company is still pushing its means of reach and its ecosystem - https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AAPL?p=AAPL
Apple Incorporated future is even brighter than before, and Messi just became a little more powerful, a little more richer by joining forces with a Tech Giant
If you enjoyed this, I recently on YouTube created a video on Why Apple Inc, is the Greatest Company of All Time. You should check it out below
Thanks, for visiting The Monk Investor Newsletter
Derrick Monk
Disclaimer: The Monk Investor Newsletter uses information from various sources believed to be reliable, but the accuracy cannot be 100% guaranteed. So please treat information contained in this publication as not individual investment advice for your personal financial situation. You are advised to discuss your investment options with your financial adviser. Consult your financial adviser to understand if any or all investment is suitable for your specific needs. I may, from time to time, have positions in the securities covered in the articles on this website. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell stocks it’s more so for entertainment and research purposes.
Good read