Apple is considering bidding for the streaming rights to a series of English football games, according to people familiar with the situation, a move that would bolster its sporting ambitions and increase competition with Amazon’s Prime Video.
The rights in question would allow Apple to show Premier League games in the UK as well as lower league matches run by the English Football League, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.
Such a move would build on Apple’s recent expansion into live sports in the US, where it signed a $2.5 billion, 10-year deal with Major League Soccer to show games on its TV+ platform. The company also streams Major League Baseball on Friday nights. And one of the streaming service’s most popular TV series, Ted Lasso, follows a fictional Premier League team coached by an American.
A push into English football would pit Apple against established media companies such as Comcast Sky and Warner Bros Discovery, which last year agreed a joint venture with BT Sport. It could also compete with Amazon, which has become a force in European football streaming.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment. The English Premier League declined to comment on whether Apple has shown any interest in bidding for its next set of rights. Meanwhile, an EFL spokesman said the league is currently reviewing potential bidders for the upcoming sale of rights.
Apple has enlisted sports media veterans Jim DeLorenzo and Frank Uddo in building its streaming platform, and they “know the value they can bring to the international football system,” said Peter Hutton, who previously worked at Meta Platforms Inc. Worked as Media Partnership Executive. ,
He added that offering sports could be a more effective way of attracting viewers overseas than other fare.
Hutton said, “Apple will be watching its early data on the MLS and MLB experiments closely, but sports’ unique ability to change predetermined audience behavior means it’s a safer bet than entertainment content.” Former head of the Eurosport network.
The EFL is offering the rights for a season starting in 2024. The Premier League has struck a deal with Sky, BT Sport and Amazon for live games running until the 2024-2025 season. The Premier League sold the domestic rights for 2022 to 2025 for $6.3 billion (roughly Rs. 51,800 crores).
Amazon is rapidly expanding its sports broadcasting franchise. In addition to winning the Premier League rights in the UK, it is also showing the US Open tennis tournament in the UK and Ireland, as well as the Champions League tournament in the UK, Italy and Germany. Amazon also streams Thursday night NFL games for Prime subscribers.
Apple launched its TV+ streaming service in 2019 and has built a platform known for engaging series with major stars. But the company hasn’t been as ambitious as Netflix Inc. and Walt Disney Co. in vying for customers. Many of its users watch TV+ for free through trials that come with purchasing other Apple products.
Apple also hasn’t invested heavily in its back catalog of programming, a key way that Netflix keeps its more than 230 million subscribers happy.
With games, Apple has taken a similarly measured but gradually more aggressive approach. The Cupertino, California-based company struck its baseball deal a year ago, agreeing to show Friday night games for free. This season, the company began requiring a subscription to view coverage.
Apple began showing MLS games last month, and it’s using that agreement to expand into the TV advertising market. The move is part of a wider effort by the iPhone maker to make money from ads.
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