Apple CEO, Tom Cook has disclosed that the addition of star footballer Lionel Messi has helped the company grow its subscribers.
Cook made this known in the quarterly earnings call held on Thursday where he disclosed that Apple TV+ had beaten its subscriber targets in the past three months ending July 1.
He attributed some of that success to an uptick in interest after Messi signed for Inter Miami CF last month, bringing his star power to the comparatively minor US domestic game.
“We are excited about our MLS partnership, and we’re thrilled to see Messi suiting up with Inter Miami,” Tom Cook CEO said.
“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,” he added.
In February, Apple launched a Season Pass that will cost subscribers $13 per month and non-subscribers $15 per month as part of a 10-year relationship with the top US football league.
According to Sportico, Messi will receive $150 million from the Florida-based team over the following two and a half years in the form of a regular wage, a signing bonus, and equity in the organisation.
In June, The Athletic reported that Messi had also signed revenue-sharing contracts with Apple TV and Adidas, one of the major sponsors of Major League Soccer.
