Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPL) signaled its foray into live streaming sports last month by announcing it would stream two exclusive Major League Baseball games per week. Cupertino could be landing an additional deal soon, according to a report.
What Happened: Apple has a done deal for the National Football League Sunday Ticket package and a public announcement is kept on hold at the company's request, Matthew Belloni of Puck. news reported, citing sources.
The NFL Sunday Ticket is an out-of-market sports package that broadcasts regular-season games unavailable on local affiliates. It is currently distributed in the U.S. by DirecTV, which was spun off from AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T) last year.
The deal could be negotiated for $2.5 billion per year, up from the $1.5 billion DirecTV is currently paying.
Citing sources, Belloni said, "It's Apple's [deal] to lose at this point."
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The NFL win would be in line with Apple's quest to dig deep into premium video, Belloni wrote.
He also discussed the possibility of Amazon, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) evincing interest in it or even DirecTV stepping up to retain the contract.
Why It Matters: The financial commitment involved in the NFL Sunday Ticket is much higher than the speculated $85 million Apple would be paying for the MLB streaming rights, 9to5 Mac reported.
Apple analyst and Loup Funds co-founder Gene Munster said in a note in March that the Friday night MLB rights were a great starting point for live sports on Apple TV+. He had predicted more deal wins.
Apple closed Monday's session down 0.13% at $165.07.
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Photo courtesy: DirecTV
