Reports of Apple’s interest in acquiring the Premier League broadcasting rights date back to 2012. More recently, Bloomberg reported Apple’s potential bid for streaming rights of Premier League and other lower league matches under the English Football League for Apple TV+.
However, Cue confirmed that Apple is not planning to bid on these rights as the company would not be able to obtain global rights. Apple sought an arrangement similar to the one it has for broadcasting Major League Soccer (MLS) worldwide for a decade, a deal that was dubbed a “historic first for a major professional sports league”.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Cue explained that Apple requires a global reach for any broadcasting deal, as the company is keen on investing heavily in product and engineering resources.
Bidding wars for the Premier League rights have historically played out between Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video. However, no single broadcaster can obtain rights to all English Premier League matches, meaning any deal with Apple for broadcasting rights would fall short of the company’s desired exclusivity.
Despite dismissing the Premier League rumors, Apple continues to pursue sports content to attract new viewers to the Apple TV+ streaming service.
The company has signed deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, both available on Apple TV+ via an MLS Season Pass. Apple has also reportedly expressed interest in acquiring an NBA streaming package.
