Apple's ambition to acquire broadcasting rights for the English Premier League appears to have been sidelined, according to comments made by Apple executive Eddy Cue.
The tech giant had previously shown interest in stepping into the football arena once the current deal with Sky Sports and BT Sport expires in 2025.
The sports industry has speculated that Apple was gearing up to place a hefty bid for these coveted streaming rights.
However, recent remarks from Cue suggest that such plans are no longer imminent on their agenda. Broadcasters anticipate bids of around £3 billion ($3.8 billion) per season, with additional smaller packages also being offered by the league.
Rather than pursuing segmental deals though, Apple seems more inclined towards securing comprehensive contracts akin to its existing partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) on its streaming platform - Apple TV+.
Apple's Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, said:
"We're a global company, we have a large number of customers in every country in the world, and it's not exciting for me to have something that one person can have but another can't."
"Another matter is that we're throwing a significant amount of engineering and expertise into the MLS product, and I can't justify throwing what I think are the best engineers in the world on a small sub-set product. It has to be a partnership because our level of investment is significant."
While hinting at an unlikely move towards capturing Premier League broadcast rights now or in future, Cue did leave some room open, although adding it would be highly improbable due to them generally eschewing region-specific deals as part of their strategy.
"We wouldn't want to invest to do that because we're not a typical investor trying to fill in some gaps. MLS is our Number One thing and we want it to be a huge success."
Looking ahead, despite Apple's bid for UK soccer streaming rights facing obstacles, the company's interest in the sports media market suggests a potential focus on enhancing its presence in streaming.
With the sports streaming landscape constantly evolving, Apple's resources and determination may lead to strategic partnerships or acquisitions in the future.
As the battle for sports content intensifies, Apple's approach to sports streaming remains a subject of speculation for industry experts and consumers alike.
Stick with Sporticos for more Sports Streams News.
