Apple to rival Amazon in bid to broadcast Premier League and EFL games
Sky Sports and BT Sport could LOSE Premier League TV rights, with tech giants ready to muscle in to take over the coverage… forcing fans into paying for ANOTHER subscription
- A new company is interested in competing for the next Premier League TV deal
- Starting from 2024, the new entrant to the market could also go for EFL rights
- The current Premier League broadcasting cycle is currently worth £10.4billion
The Premier League could be heading to a new broadcasting service in 2025.
A tech giant is lining up a huge bid for the streaming rights to a range of football matches in England that would see them compete with Amazon, Sky Sports and BT.
The rights under consideration would allow them to show not only the Premier League but also any matches run by the English Football League, according to Bloomberg.
Sportsmail previously revealed that Apple were looking to increase their live football coverage after dipping their toe into the Premier League with a documentary about the European Super League – and they now want the live rights too.
This would see Apple rival Amazon in a battle for the streaming rights as the tech giants see the English football market as a key area to expand into.
Amazon Prime already have exclusive rights to two rounds of Premier League matches a season, showing two games a season in a deal which is reportedly worth £30million. They also secured rights to Champions League matches this season.
Apple would look to obtain rights for Premier League fixtures in 2025 and EFL matches in 2024
Amazon have exclusive right to the Premier League for two rounds of matches already
This deal runs out until 2025, when Apple would look to obtain rights for Premier League fixtures and provide competition to Amazon, BT and Sky.
The current Premier League broadcasting rights cycle bagan in 2022 and is worth a huge £10.4billion – as £5.1billion of this comes from their domestic deals with Sky, BT, Amazon and BBC.
Apple’s ambition to expand into English football comes after they recently signed a £2billion contract to show Major League Soccer matches for the next decade.
Last year, Apple also began streaming Major League Baseball on Friday’s after agreeing a $85m-per-season contract with the organisation.
It remains to be seen as to whether their bid for the English broadcasting rights will be a success as key tech companies look to expand into the footballing market.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos denied rumours that the streaming site are interested in live sports
Facebook, Disney and Netflix are amongst other companies to have had their names linked with potential involvement in streaming Premier League matches.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos distanced the streaming site from these reports, stating that bidding for these is not in the ‘near future’.
However, Apple’s interest in the English Football League could see them unrivalled for EFL matches in the future as they look to secure the streaming rights for matches in the Championship, League One and League Two.
If they do pursue this, the next cycle for the EFL rights begins in 2024 and negotiations are said to usualyl take place a year or a year-and-a-half before the renewal of this cycle is due.
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