Where will Apple go next in bids for global streaming rights?

Apple is close to securing a major deal with FIFA to acquire global streaming rights to the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States. If finalized, it would mark Apple’s latest high-profile move into live sports broadcasting after inking deals with Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, and others. But the Club World Cup is just an appetizer – the real question is what bigger competitions Apple may target next in its quest to make Apple TV a dominant platform for streaming sports worldwide.

First, let’s get what likely will not make it on Apple’s service – the English Premier League. As Apple’s services chief Eddy Cue explained, for Apple’s level of investment, obtaining global rights is crucial since they operate in every country. Premier League deals are negotiated on a nation-by-nation basis, making it improbable Apple could obtain true worldwide exclusivity. Similar roadblocks exist for other top European domestic leagues. So, it’s safe, for the time being, to take top European domestic leagues off the table.

Is the World Cup out of sight for Apple?

One potential prize for Apple could be future World Cup rights. Despite FIFA’s traditional insistence that the tournament has a free-to-air television offering. With the continued fragmentation of TV viewership and rise of streaming, that long-held policy may be due for revision, opening the door for a deep-pocketed streamer like Apple to make an exclusive play for World Cup 2030 or 2034 rights – at the right price, of course. 

If not the World Cup or Europe’s biggest domestic leagues, what other major competitions could entice Apple?

Other global streaming rights on the table for Apple

One possibility is the UEFA Champions League rights, which are currently shared by Paramount+, Univision, and others in the U.S. market. Securing exclusive global streaming rights, when they become available again, could allow Apple to capture the viewership around the…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/where-will-apple-go-next-in-bids-for-global-streaming-rights/

Author : Ed Perovic

Publish date : 2024-04-23 21:04:29

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