some interest in acquiring studios like MGM,
it’s failed to do so, with Amazon coming out
front and center and taking over the rights
to the iconic studio.
BRINGING SPORT INTO THE FOLD
One area where Apple hopes to capture the
attention of consumers and turn Apple TV+
into a hub worth subscribing to is with sport.
Amazon has shown that streamers can handle
live sporting events like tennis and the Premier
League, and now Apple wants a bite of the
same pie. The company is reportedly bidding
for streaming rights for the National Football
League’s “Sunday Ticket” package, and is in
with discussions with NFL executives, though
it’s thought that NFL is also speaking to other
television networks and technology firms, so
there’s no guarantee that Apple will come out
victorious. Right now, Sunday Ticket streams on
DirecTV, but if Apple was to acquire the rights,
users would be able to watch non-prime time
games from all 32 NFL teams on Apple TV+.
It’s believed that DirecTV pays around $1.5
billion for rights to Sunday Ticket games, but
with a bidding war afoot, Apple might need
to open its purse a little wider than that. It’s
worth noting that Apple acquired MGM for
$8.4 billion, but that offered the company more
than 4,000 films and 17,000 hours of TV - if
Apple paid $2 billion for Sunday Ticket games,
it’d be a seriously expensive commitment and
the firm would need to work hard to encourage
consumers to make the leap over to the
platform.
It’s believed that Disney is also interested in
acquiring the rights for its ESPN streaming