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There have been multiple reports over the past few months that Apple is interested in acquiring the rights to stream NFL games. While nothing has been confirmed, a new report from Puck News claims that a deal between Apple and the NFL is closer than ever. At the same time, Apple is already working on other future deals.
By report It is said that Tim Cook and Eddy Cue met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last weekend during the Sun Valley Conference. Although the topic of the meeting is unknown, they likely discussed acquiring streaming rights to NFL games.
Up to 3 billion US dollars per year
Other companies such as Disney, Amazon, and DirecTV have reportedly also competed for a deal with the NFL. However, Puck News firmly believes that Apple is the "most likely winner" in this competition. The rights are currently held by DirecTV, which sells packages between $290 and $400 per season. The contract between DirecTV and the NFL expires this year. Although initial discussions suggested a deal for $2 billion a year, sources familiar with the negotiations have revealed that the final price could be as high as $3 billion a year—a price few companies are willing to pay. At the same time, Apple is already looking forward to even more deals.
After the NFL, Apple could make a deal with UEFA
Interestingly, the NFL deal seems to be just the beginning. According to the report, both Apple and Amazon are considering making a bid to acquire the national broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League, which is expected to cost between $2 billion and $2.5 billion per year. The investments in the sports segment come as no surprise. Earlier this year, Apple struck a deal with Major League Baseball to broadcast two regular season MLB games every Friday night exclusively on Apple TV+. The games will be streamed for free to Apple TV+ subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South Korea.
Apple improves live sports streaming
Apple also announced an exclusive streaming deal with Major League Soccer that will begin with the 2023 season. However, this will be available as a separate subscription within the Apple TV app - although some of the games can be watched for free by Apple TV+ subscribers. Additionally, Apple has been working on improving its live sports streaming platforms. With iOS 15.6 and tvOS 15.6, users will be able to pause a live game and even watch it from the beginning. (Photo by DenPhoto / Bigstockphoto)
