Major League Soccer (MLS) announced on Thursday that it will be bringing back the Lionel Messi Cam on TikTok during Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match with Necaxa on August 2. This move is part of MLS's ongoing efforts to expand its audience reach.
The Messi-focused camera will track the 38-year-old Argentine superstar throughout the game, presented in a mobile-friendly vertical format with custom graphics. This initiative, dubbed “Player Spotlight: Messi”, was first introduced in October 2024 and attracted an impressive 6.4 million viewers across league and team TikTok pages. That particular game marked Messi’s playoff debut and became the most widely viewed sporting event in Apple history, according to company reports.
This year, a total of four "Player Spotlight: Messi" streams are planned as part of this unique fan engagement strategy.
MLS' $2.5 Billion Apple tie-up
In its third season of a $2.5 billion partnership with Apple, MLS has launched several new initiatives including a Sunday Night Soccer tentpole program and increased access to the MLS Season Pass on Android devices. Additionally, various distribution agreements have been established with Comcast, DirecTV and T-Mobile.
Select games are also aired on Fox networks and regional sports networks after their conclusion while certain matches stream within EA Sports FC’s mobile app. Internationally, Sunday Night Soccer reaches up to 260 million households via linear networks.
According to Don Garber, Commissioner of MLS, these increased distribution partnerships have led to an almost 50% increase over last year's unique viewers per Season Pass stream which now averages at around 120k in 2025.
Multiyear partnership between MLS and TikTok
In April this year, another significant development took place when MLS announced a multiyear partnership with social media platform TikTok. This partnership aims to bring live match highlights and fan reactions directly to the platform, further enhancing fan engagement.
Messi’s influence on MLS has been significant since his debut in the Leagues Cup in 2023. Two years into Messi’s time with MLS, Inter Miami has seen a surge of interest from new fans. On TikTok alone, the club boasts 12.1 million followers - about six times as many as Florida Panthers, Miami Heat and Miami Marlins combined.
MLS is working closely with Inter Miami to convert these followers into regular game viewers who will hopefully develop an interest in the rest of the league as well. Looking ahead, MLS is focusing on content recommendation and personalized marketing initiatives tailored for newcomers. The aim is not only to maximize Messi’s remaining time in the league but also leverage opportunities around next year's World Cup hosted in North America.
