Camera Will Follow Messi for Entire Soccer Game Broadcast Live on TikTok
He is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in the soccer world and now Lionel Messi will have a camera trained on him for an entire game, delivering a unique, player-first viewing experience that brings fans closer to every moment of Messi magic.
The Inter Miami star will spearhead the innovative broadcast during Leagues Cup games — which will start on August 2 when Miami takes on Mexican side Necaxa.
‘Player Spotlight: Messi’ will be broadcast live on TikTok on the MLS, Inter Miami, and Apple TV TikTok accounts. There will be three other live streams which will be announced at some point in the future.
It is not the first time a camera has been fixed on the Argentine World Cup winner for a whole game. During Inter Miami’s playoff game against Atlanta United last season, 6.4 million people tuned in to watch the game from Messi’s perspective — setting a record for the largest live audience for a U.S. sports event on TikTok. The game on October 25, 2024, was also Apple’s most-viewed sports game.
“After the overwhelming success of ‘Player Spotlight: Messi’, which delivered our biggest-ever live U.S. sports audience on TikTok, we knew we had to bring it back,” says Rollo Goldstaub, Global Head of Sports Partnerships at TikTok, per USA Today.
MLS Executive Vice President of Media Seth Bacon says the broadcast is “pushing the boundaries of how fans experience the game.”
“With this collaboration, we’re bringing fans even closer to one of the greatest players of all time — in a way that’s dynamic, immersive, and made for the next generation of fans,” Bacon adds. “We’re proud to keep innovating with partners like Apple and TikTok to create unforgettable moments.”
Soccer continues to explore new ways to beam the action into fans’ living rooms, or in this case, their smartphones. During the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup held this summer in the US, referees wore body cameras for the first time, giving fans an “unprecedented view of on-field action.”
Perhaps no sport has advanced camera tech quite like F1 which introduced the popular Driver’s Eye last year.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
