MLS Cup Playoffs 2024: Apple Pulls Down the Paywall; Plans All-Messi Live Match Feed on TikTok
"We wanted to put our best foot forward," - Emeka Ofodile, Global Head of Sports Marketing, Apple
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Coming off a regular season dominated by the legendary Lionel Messi, Major League Soccer turns its focus to the MLS Cup Playoffs where, for the entire first round, the league is lifting the subscription paywall required to watch MLS matches streamed exclusive to Apple TV+.
“We’re offering Friday’s match to fans worldwide on MLS Season Pass at no cost to celebrate an amazing season and Messi making his first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Services said in an official release. “This is a historic moment, and we’re thrilled that viewers have such an extensive array of ways to watch.”
In addition, Apple TV will offer a special live stream focused on Messi to the social media platform TikTok, coinciding with coverage of top-seeded Inter Miami’s match with Atlanta United FC on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. The stream, which will show a camera locked-off on Messi for the entirety of the match – will broadcast live on the @MLS TikTok profile and be simulcast on the @InterMiamiCF TikTok profile.
The greater Apple brand is also buying into the hype as the Inter Miami-Atlanta United match will also stream live in Apple Store locations across the world, including Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City, Apple Union Square in San Francisco, and Apple The Grove in Los Angeles, in addition to Apple Store locations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Korea, and Mexico.
“It’s been an incredible season. There’s so many great contenders and storylines coming into the playoffs,” Emeka Ofodile, ” [We’re] working in close collaboration with the league. As we jump into this postseason, we wanted to put our best foot forward and make the playoffs bigger than ever for both casual and diehard fans.”
