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Fortune
Fortune
Rachyl Jones

The biggest sports battle isn’t on the field. It’s at the negotiating table as Big Tech fights Big Media for dominance in streaming major league athletics

Lionel Messi surrounded by cameramen. (Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

There hasn’t been a fight like this since the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry peaked in ‘04. 

Amazon Prime snapped up the rights to Thursday Night Football, replacing Fox and NFL Network. YouTube scooped the Sunday Ticket, or out-of-market NFL games on Sundays, from DirecTV’s 30-year grasp. And Apple seized exclusive rights to Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer, including helping convince superstar player Lionel Messi to join Miami’s team to create blockbuster programming. 

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