In a report published today by the New York PostApple is said to be in “serious talks” as part of the negotiations over the broadcast rights of Major League Baseball. It is rumored that Apple has been investigating sports rights for some time.
Presumably Apple would bundle sports streaming as part of Apple TV + or some kind of additional tier. The Post says Apple would begin broadcasting MLB games from next season if an agreement is reached.
Full details of the transaction were not disclosed. However, the sports package believed to be on the table are weekday national games that were owned by ESPN until recently.
Apple has reportedly had conversations with various sports groups for some time, including conversations with the Pac-12 conference previously reported by the Wall Street Journal.
In the past few years, Apple has accelerated its investment in content services dramatically, led by billions of dollars spent producing Apple Original Movies and TV shows for its Apple TV + streaming service.
Live sports are becoming increasingly important in the streaming wars, and it makes sense that Apple – rich in money – would want to join in. On the software side, 9to5Mac recently found code references that suggest Apple is investing in sports-related features for its operating systems.
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