Apple has been investing more and more in the TV+ part, especially sports content for some time.
After signing deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer last year, Apple recently failed to land the NFL broadcast, with YouTube winning the Sunday Ticket bet. But the Cupertino firm continues and is preparing to make an offer for the rights to the Premier League, the first English football division.
Apple X Premier League
According to the British newspaper Daily MailApple is preparing to make an offer on a package of English Premier League broadcasting rights, which is soon to be renewed.
Although it is far behind baseball and American football across the Atlantic, football seems to be of great interest to Apple. On its platform, we find the Ted Lasso series, a documentary series on the European Super League, and soon Major League Soccer matches.
Next February, all MLS matches will be exclusively available for streaming in the Apple TV app, thanks to a new service called MLS Season Pass (priced at 14.99 euros per month or 99 euros per season). MLS Season Pass is discounted for TV+ subscribers, and select matches will be available for free.
While this deal will cost Apple around $250 million a year, the cost of the English Premier League would represent a significantly larger investment – certainly over $1 billion a year. Football is the number one sport in the UK and more generally in Europe. It is also the most watched championship in the world.
The current three-year agreement with Sky Sports et bt sports expires in 2025. The league will launch a call for tenders later this year, which will allow Apple to place itself. No doubt Amazon will also try to win the bet, knowing that it already has the rights to the French Ligue 1, among others.
Moreover, it is possible that the two companies will recover a part, because the conditions of the Premier League are currently such that no broadcaster can grab the rights to all the matches.
PS : we better understand the rumor about the takeover of Manchester United by Apple a few months ago.
