Apple TV is kicking off its second season offering MLS Season Pass.

Apple and Major League Soccer signed a 10-year deal in 2022 — which also happened to be the year star Lionel Messi moved to MLS franchise Inter Miami CF.

Apple is marking the return of soccer with MLS Is Back week, which starts with Messi and Miami taking on Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. (ET). Pre-match coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with a special 90-minute edition of MLS Countdown/MLS La Previa.

Also Read: Apple Helped Lure Messi to Miami With Piece of 'MLS Season Pass' Revenue

Apple has upgraded its interface, making it easier for Apple TV users to see when games are scheduled and how to find their favorite teams.

“We’re thrilled to kick off the 2024 season and build upon this game-changing partnership, which is bringing Major League Soccer to its largest global audience ever while showcasing the next-level athleticism and electric fandom of the league,” Apple senior VP of services Eddy Cue said.

Fans will be also be able to watch 2023 MLS playoff highlights on Apple Vision Pro with 8K 3D video and spatial audio.

Apple Podcasts will have several shows about soccer, including Offside With Taylor Twellman.

Messi has put together a playlist of songs he listens to before matches for Apple Music. “For as long as I can remember, music has played an important part in my life, especially on match days,“ Messi said. “Music quiets my mind, helps me stay calm and relaxed.”

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV is available in more than 100 countries and gives fans access to every MLS game with no blackouts.

The package costs $14.99 a month, or $99 a season. There’s a discount for Apple TV Plus subscribers, who can get Season Pass for $12.99 a month or $79 a season.

The big news out of the global sporting world this week has been Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi being lured away from a $430 million offer from Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal to play in the United States for Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. 

Messi is a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner who led Argentina to a stirring World Cup win in December. He's arguably approaching Michael Jordan in terms of global sports transcendental megastar status, and he's the biggest get ever in the 27-year history of the MLS, the 2007 signing by of David Beckham by the Los Angeles Galaxy included. 

We haven't seen a unified MLS salary figure for Messi, but considering that the league's teams are capped at $5.21 million per season for their whole roster, the 35-year-old star's compensation portfolio needed to be diversified. 

That starts with a reported 35% ownership stake in Inter Miami. But it appears to have taken a village to bring Messi to America. 

According to numerous published reports, including one in The Athletic, Apple was instrumental in luring Messi to Miami, offering the player a percentage of revenue from new MLS Season Pass signups. 

A year ago, Apple entered into a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with the MLS to exclusively stream all of the league's games on the Apple TV app. 

Apple also revealed earlier this week that a four-part docuseries focused on Messi will soon run on SVOD service Apple TV Plus. 

Apple has never broken out subscription numbers for services including the $15-a-month MLS Season Pass, but suffice it to say that Messi's addition will likely drive signups and reduce churn. 

Meanwhile, Adidas, MLS' footwear/apparel partner, reportedly has an arrangement with Messi, as well. 

DishLatino, Dish Network’s Spanish language programming tier, has expanded its sports coverage, adding soccer-focused sports network beIN Sports en Español.

In a statement, Dish said BeIN Sports en Español will be available across all DishLatino packages, and offers a wide variety of sports in addition to its extensive soccer coverage, including motorcross, cycling, rugby and boxing. The network is launching on channel 873 in standard definition, is also available in Dish's America's Top 250, Everything and Multi-Sport Packs.

The parent network – beIN Sports –  first came on the scene in 2012, backed by Al Jazeera Sports and other investors, and has gained steam in the wake of the FIFA 2014 World Cup this summer, when it aired several qualifying matches.

"DishLatino is building on this summer's fútbol fever with the launch of beIN Sports en Español," said DishLatino vice president Alfredo Rodriguez in a statement. "Our subscribers will find beIN Sports en Español is a unique addition to our sports lineup, especially in time for the channel's coverage of this fall's many upcoming international sports events."

While beIN Sports mainly focuses on soccer leagues in Europe, Africa and the Middle East – including La Liga in Spain (featuring top players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta), Italy’s Serie A (featuring matchups between powerhouses like Juventus, AC Milan, Roma and Inter Milan) and the French Ligue 1 (featuring free-flowing teams like Paris St. Germain, Olympique Marseille and Lyon) – it also has exclusive rights to the 2015 Copa America in Chile and the Copa del Rey tournament for Spanish League teams, and England’s  second division Football League Championship, where the top three teams win promotion to the lucrative Premier League.

"The DishLatino content team has just scored another coup for its customers by bringing our spanish language network to its customers," said deputy CEO of beIN Media Group Yousef Al-Obaidly in a statement. "DishLatino customers are passionate and knowledgeable fans, and beIN Sports en Español will offer them more soccer and top flight international competition than any other channel."