The Importance of Broadcasting Sporting Events
The rights to broadcast sporting events are highly valuable to television channels, especially when it comes to football. Typically, public television channels broadcast national team events. However, watching the most important leagues in the world can come with an extra cost, as pay television channels have the broadcasting rights.
Apple’s Potential Involvement in Broadcasting Premier League
There could be a historic announcement in the near future, as reports suggest that Apple may be looking to obtain the broadcasting rights for the Premier League. If this happens, users could potentially watch the Premier League on Apple TV. While nothing is confirmed yet, Deadline has reported that there has been a declaration of intent from Apple to broadcast the English league in addition to the possibility of broadcasting the lower leagues in the UK.
The Current State of Sports Broadcasting
While there are many video-on-demand (VOD) services for movies and TV shows, there are only a few that cater to sports. This is what makes Apple’s reported interest in broadcasting the Premier League significant. There’s no denying that the bitten apple is delving deep into the sports industry.
Apple’s Previous Involvement in Sports
It’s worth noting that Apple has invested in sports in the past. The tech giant paid $2.5 billion to broadcast Major League Soccer, which is considered one of the biggest purchases in sports broadcasting history. This investment secured broadcasting rights for 10 years. Moreover, Apple also has broadcasting rights to other sporting events in America, such as the Major League Baseball.
Competition in the Broadcasting Industry
Apple’s potential entry into the Premier League broadcasting industry would be a game-changer. However, it’s worth noting that it would have to compete with other English channels and Amazon, which announced that they too will broadcast the games during the 2024-2025 season.
As of now, there’s no confirmation on whether Apple will secure the broadcasting rights for Premier League or any lower leagues in the UK. However, if it happens, it’s sure to shake up the sports broadcasting industry as we know it.
