With all eyes on Apple as it makes its foray into the world of streaming, and an exclusive revenue sharing deal locked in with the world's greatest player, veteran executive and SVP of Services at Apple Eddy Cue believes the company has a "huge" opportunity it must execute on.
Speaking exclusively to our friends at ShortList, Eddy Cue described sports as "the most awesome unscripted drama." "You just don't know what's going to happen," Cue told Marc Chacksfield at Audi Field in DC last week, "and so I think it has tremendous value as we go forward."
It comes as Apple's exclusive streaming deal with the MLS enters its second year, punctuated for 2023 by the arrival of one of the sport's most iconic figures. Lionel Messi will be plying his trade for Inter Miami in 2023, a move that has brought a massive uptick in fan investment and engagement in the league.
All eyes on Apple
With Apple TV and Apple's MLS Season Pass the only place to watch all of Messi's league games this year, Cue believes that Apple has a massive opportunity it must take advantage of.
"This thing can be huge and it should be huge," he said. "And we've got to execute, they've got to execute, and a lot of things have to happen, but it's not unrealistic. It is a huge opportunity."
MLS commissioner Don Garber feels the same. A tenured veteran of the league since 1999, Garber says the league "couldn't be more excited about partnering with the largest, most innovative company in the world." He also praised the quality of the games on show, stating they'd taken the deal by storm.
Cue believes the spirit of the iPhone, the iPad, and the Mac lives on in Apple's groundbreaking MLS package. "We design our products by thinking, ‘how do we make the best product?’ And ultimately, it's always worked for us," stating that's the way Apple has tackled its approach to streaming soccer games.
When Messi's last-minute free-kick nestled top bins to seal a debut goal and a win on Saturday night, it was poetic, and with an eye-watering 54.5 million views on his game-winning free kick, Apple's gamble on the MLS and the money it's giving to Messi sure looks to be paying off early doors.
