TikTok partners with MLS for an exclusive live stream event

TikTok is looking to make deeper inroads into sports, this time via a livestream of Inter Miami’s upcoming MLS final, but with a catch that stems more from the way Twitter has tried to incorporate live sports coverage.

In the upcoming Inter Miami final, fans can watch a live stream specifically focused on Miami captain Lionel Messi, with a player spotlight camera dedicated to Messi during the game.

According to TikTok:

“As Inter Miami CF begins its quest for the MLS Cup presented by Audi, the camera will be on Messi as he lights up the pitch. The Player Spotlight stream will live on exclusively @MLS and transmitted at the same time @InterMiamiCF, Start five minutes before kick-off. This is the first time TikTok has streamed a full live football game with a focus on a single player.”

But not the first time for social media in a broader sense.

As previously mentioned, Twitter (now

Twitter has also tried this approach, broadcasting full NFL and MLB games at the same time. But the cost of purchasing the streaming rights proved too high for the platform to continue.

Focusing on one player seems to be a cheaper route, which again is permissible within existing rights. And with a star like Messi to focus on, it could be a good way for TikTok to capitalize on the surrounding hype and strengthen its ties with sports communities.

However, bridging the gap between an additional sports channel and an actual broadcaster for other platforms was not a viable option.

In addition to Twitter, Facebook has also tried sports broadcasts to integrate the live discussion with the broadcast in a single stream. Fans haven’t really warmed up to it yet, most seem to prefer watching the game on the big screen and listening to the conversations on social media during breaks.

In theory, the combination of the two should work at least somewhat. But again, Twitter tried for years to combine its popularity as a discussion app with its actual content, but it never really caught on.

So will it work for TikTok?

The platform has become a major hub for sports-related content, particularly among younger users.

In fact, TikTok says its users posted over 7 million soccer-related posts in 2024 alone @MLS has the largest international audience of any North American sports league on the platform.

And given Messi’s global appeal, it seems to make perfect sense. However, the TikTok generation is also more focused on watching highlights than watching entire games.

And an entire game focused on one player while the game runs intermittently off-screen could also test the TikTok audience’s already short attention span.

Still, it’s worth an experiment and could provide further insights that help TikTok improve its sports content.

The live stream will be hosted on Friday, October 25th at 8:45 p.m. ET.