Apple entered the live sports streaming arena last year, signing deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. Apple also entered pre-negotiations with the NFL for his Sunday Ticket, but that deal ultimately went to YouTube for him.
But the company doesn’t appear to be slowing its ambitions. The British newspaper Daily Mail reports that Apple is preparing to bid on a package of streaming rights for English Premier League football.
Apple has already shown great interest in the football field.
For starters, Apple TV+’s most popular series, Ted Lasso, is based on a beautiful game. Just yesterday, Apple TV+ premiered a documentary about the ill-fated European Super League. And in the US, Apple has signed a landmark deal with Major League Soccer.
This February, all MLS games (no blackouts or restrictions) will be streamed exclusively within the Apple TV app, with a new service called MLS Season Pass ($14.99 per month or $99 per season). will be The MLS Season Pass is available at a discounted price for TV+ subscribers and some games are free.
The deal will cost Apple about $250 million annually. Soccer is Britain’s premier sport, so the English Premier League’s acquisition of rights in the UK represents a very large investment, in the billions of dollars.
In particular, the Daily Mail notes that the current three-year contracts with Sky Sports and BT Sport expire in 2025. The league is said to start bidding later this year, with Apple stepping up to the plate.
Don’t expect Apple to get a monopoly, as they did with MLS. The Premier League package terms are currently being adjusted to prevent a single broadcaster from acquiring rights to all games.
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