Inter Miami's No. 10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the second half of the game against St. Louis City at Chase Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 1, 2024.
Megan Briggs | Getty Images
Major League Soccer is partnering with German digital media platform OneFootball to deliver highlights, statistics and other content to a global audience. As part of the deal, OneFootball will have access to highlights from hundreds of MLS games each season.
MLS will also take a stake in OneFootball, joining long list Financial investors and European football clubs as shareholders (including Real Madrid), Barcelona Football Club and Manchester City Football Club, among others. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.
The deal comes as Major League Soccer continues to look for ways to grow its audience and capitalize on a recent surge in popularity since superstar Lionel Messi joined the American league a year ago.
“As we think about how to attract new fans and new eyeballs and increase consumer engagement, we are always looking for creative and innovative partners to work with,” said Seth Bacon, MLS executive vice president of media. “OneFootball certainly meets those requirements. And have huge influence and a really creative way of approaching the market and the way they cover football.”
Since joining Inter Miami, Messi has boosted MLS attendance and viewership, and sponsorship revenue has also increased, according to the league. Even Messi continues to do this missed Missed the season due to injury.
Major League Soccer has also seen a significant increase in global social media engagement, particularly on YouTube and TikTok, according to the league.
OneFootball, available to fans as a mobile app, TV streaming app and website, will deliver new content globally and through its co-brands partnership and content center for Yahoo Sports USA
MLS's deal with OneFootball is not exclusive, so MLS content will still be played on other sources.
OneFootball CEO Patrick Fischer said joining the MLS makes sense for OneFootball as the United States has become one of soccer's fastest-growing markets.
“In the United States, with Messi's arrival, the sport has changed in terms of participation, awareness and fan interest,” Fisher said. “It's a completely different game. Going forward, the FIFA World Cup (2026) will take place.”
apple partner
New York City FC forward Valentin during the MLS Cup final match between the Portland Timbers and New York City FC at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon on December 11, 2021 Valentín Castellanos (11) passes the ball forward to Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Chara (21).
Brian Murphy | Illustrated Sports Wire | Getty Images
Major League Soccer (MLS) was founded in the United States in the 1990s, but still lags behind other more well-known and established professional sports leagues in the United States, such as the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, in terms of viewership and ticket prices.
The league has recently signed media rights deals with other players, setting it apart from its peers. apple. While the NFL, NBA and other leagues have multiple media rights partners in the U.S. and around the world, MLS has signed an exclusive global deal with Apple.
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV is available as a separate subscription with the tech giant's Apple TV+ streaming service. All MLS matches are available through the monthly service, although some games are also shown on traditional broadcasters.
Since 10-year US$2.5 billion trade As last season began on Apple, MLS viewership statistics have been hard to come by. Apple does not publish ratings. However, Apple executives have publicly stated that viewership has increased, especially since Messi's arrival. At a conference in November, an Apple TV executive It is reported that Some of last season's biggest games attracted more than a million viewers.
MLS is often looking for ways to increase subscriptions to the Apple TV platform.
“We’re always looking at different avenues and different distribution platforms that we think can expand the reach and visibility of the league, our players and our clubs,” Bacon said.
OneFootball's Fischer said the company's partners and investors also benefit from the data generated by the platform.
“We know this kid follows Messi on OneFootball, so we give him highlights, updates and the whole system. Then we work very strategically with the club on lead generation, customer data and so on,” Fisher said. “And social media platforms don’t share relevant data with content creators.”