Report: Apple mulling bid for NFL Sunday Ticket package

The previous twenty years have seen Apple rework itself from a maker of pricey computer systems to a {hardware}, software program, and leisure Goliath. Stay sports activities could also be subsequent on the agenda—in accordance with a report in Entrance Workplace Sports activities, Apple is eying a multibillion-dollar bid for the Nationwide Soccer League’s Sunday Ticket bundle.

Sunday Ticket, which broadcasts out-of-market NFL video games, has been carried by Directv since its launch in 1994. The rights to Sunday Ticket expire after the 2022 season, and with Directv hemorrhaging each subscribers and cash, Sunday Ticket goes to have a brand new house for the 2023 season.

Along with promoting the rights to Sunday Ticket, the NFL can also be searching for an funding accomplice for NFL Media, which incorporates the league’s web site, NFL Community, and NFL RedZone. Apple would additionally turn into a minority shareholder in NFL Media, along with getting the streaming rights to out-of-market NFL video games.

Final 12 months, the NFL locked up its present broadcast companions into new contracts totaling $9 billion yearly. Amazon additionally secured rights to the Thursday night time slate of video games for one more $1 billion per 12 months.

Apple might want to pay dearly to get in on some NFL motion. Not solely does the expiring Sunday Ticket settlement value Directv $1.5 billion yearly, however a few of the league’s broadcast rightsholders noticed their prices virtually double below the brand new contracts, which run by means of the 2033 season. Add a 49 p.c stake in NFL Media to the equation, and Apple would certainly be paying north of $3 billion per 12 months for a enterprise partnership with the most well-liked skilled sports activities league in the US.

That is chump change for a corporation with over $200 billion of money and securities readily available.

Whereas Apple has additionally been in negotiations with Main League Baseball to stream weekday regular-season video games, a cope with both the NFL or MLB would mark its first foray into reside sports activities. With the likes of Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime continuously churning out new scripted programming, streaming reside sports activities would give Apple one other solution to differentiate itself from the competitors, ensuing extra subscribers… and more cash.