Apple is again being tipped to enter the bidding war for the rights to stream Premier League football.
Back in January we brought you the news that Apple was looking into acquiring rights to stream Premier League football in the UK.
Now Bloomberg is making similar claims. According to “people familiar with the situation”, Apple is considering bidding on broadcast rights for the world’s top sports league when the three-year cycle comes around again in 2025.
“The rights under consideration would allow Apple to show Premier League games in the UK, as well as lower league matches run by the English Football League,” says the report.
This would see Apple competing directly with one of its big tech rivals, Amazon, which currently owns the rights to broadcast a selection of top tier games each season. The bulk of the rights, however, currently go to traditional domestic broadcasters Sky Sports and BT Sport.
Given the competitive package deals traditionally dealt out by the Premier League, Apple is highly unlikely to secure exclusive rights to the EPL in the same way as it has with its domestic MLS.
Indeed, this would be the latest move in a concerted bid from Apple to get into sports broadcasting. Beyond Major League Soccer rights, the tech giant has signed a deal to broadcast Major League Baseball.
Apple’s involvement would likely see an increased on the current £5.1 billion value of the rights.
It’s perhaps a little simplistic to attribute Apple’s interest to the success of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+, then. But as the series continues into its third season, its high profile can’t have hurt.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
