Apple, Disney, and Amazon all submitted bids for the National Football League’s out-of-market Sunday Ticket package “weeks ago” and are waiting to see who wins streaming rights to the package, according to CNBC‘s Alex Sherman and Jessica Golden.
“The NFL continues to be in discussion with all three bidders as it decides which partner it will choose,” the report claims, despite an earlier report claiming that a deal between Apple and the NFL was “done” and “being kept quiet at Apple’s request.” The NFL is said to be looking for more than $2 billion for the Sunday Ticket streaming rights and a stake in NFL Media, which oversees the NFL Network channel, NFL.com, and more.
Sunday Ticket broadcasts all regional NFL games on Sunday afternoons to out-of-market viewers. In the United States, the package has been exclusively distributed by DirecTV since 1994, but the deal is set to expire ahead of the 2023 NFL season and DirecTV is reportedly not interested in renewing its exclusive rights to the package.
Sunday Ticket would add to Apple’s growing portfolio of live sports content available through the Apple TV app. Apple already reached a partnership with Major League Baseball to air a weekly “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheader on Apple TV+ for the 2022 season, and Apple also reached a 10-year agreement with Major League Soccer that will see every game streamed through the Apple TV app without blackouts starting in early 2023.
It’s unclear when the NFL will publicly reveal the future home of Sunday Ticket. Given that DirecTV still holds the rights to the package for the upcoming 2022 season, CNBC reports that there is no urgency for an announcement.
Related Stories
Apple TV to Be Exclusive Home of Major League Soccer Starting in 2023
Apple today announced a partnership with Major League Soccer that will see every single MLS match streamed through the Apple TV app for the next 10 years, with the deal to kick off in 2023. Soccer fans will be able to stream every live match, with no local blackouts or restrictions of any kind. It will include access to all MLS and League Cup games, along with select MLS Next Pro and MLS…
Apple May Have Already Inked Deal for NFL Sunday Ticket
Back in July, rumors suggested that Apple was pursuing streaming rights for the National Football League’s “Sunday Ticket” package, and as of this week, there is a report suggesting that the deal could already be done. NFL Sunday Ticket has been described as “Apple’s to lose” by Matthew Belloni of Puck News in a report that’s been making the rounds today. In fact, he says that the deal is…
Apple to Begin Shipping Some Repaired iPhones in More Eco-Friendly Packaging
As of this week, Apple will begin shipping repaired iPhone 12 models in a new brown box that is 100% plastic free and created with bleach-free paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, according to a company memo obtained by MacRumors. Until now, all repaired iPhones shipped by Apple were packaged in a white box. In the memo, Apple said it is trialing the new packaging for repaired …
Friday Night Baseball Kicks Off With Pre-Game Content in Apple TV App
Apple’s first Apple TV+ live sports content is set to premiere tomorrow with the debut of “Friday Night Baseball.” Apple inked a deal with Major League Baseball to the rights for the 2022 season, with games set to air each Friday. Ahead of the first game, Apple announced that baseball fans can access exclusive related programs like “Countdown to First Pitch” and “MLB Daily Recap” starting…
Apple TV App Comes to Philips MediaSuite Hotel Room TVs
Apple’s official TV app is now available to hotel guests whose rooms come with a Philips MediaSuite hospitality television set. PPDS, the global provider of Philips TV products for the hospitality market, has partnered with Apple to bring the TV app to Philips MediaSuite installed hotels, where guests can now gain access to their Apple TV+ subscription when away from home. With the Apple …
Friday Night Baseball Coming to Apple TV+ on April 8
Friday Night Baseball games are set to premiere on Apple TV+ on April 8, Apple said today. Apple earlier this month announced a deal with Major League Baseball for the 2022 season. At the time, the season was postponed due to a labor dispute between the MLB and the MLB Players Association, but it has now been resolved. MLB fans will be able to watch two consecutive games on Friday nights…
Apple Shares ‘For All Mankind’ Season 3 Trailer
The third season of popular Apple TV+ series “For All Mankind” is set to premiere on Friday, June 10, and ahead of that date, Apple has shared the trailer for the new season. ”For All Mankind” was one of the first Apple TV+ shows that launched when the Apple TV+ service launched in November 2020, and it has continued to be popular with viewers. The series imagines what the world might be…
What’s New in tvOS 16 for Apple TV: Features and Enhancements
While the Apple TV was an afterthought during the WWDC 2022 keynote, there is indeed a new tvOS 16 update for all Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K models, with the first beta released to developers for testing yesterday. Below, we’ve rounded up several new features and enhancements coming in the software update. An overview of new tvOS 16 features for Apple TV:Cross-device connectivity: Apple…
Popular Stories
Apple Confirms iPad Will No Longer Be Supported as a Home Hub in iOS 16
The iPad will no longer be able to be used as a home hub following the launch of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and the HomePod 16 software this fall, Apple confirmed today. As discovered in iOS 16 code by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, Apple says that the iPad will no longer be supported as a home hub. This information will be displayed in the Home app after updating to iOS 16.A home …
Apple CEO Tim Cook Hints at AR/VR Headset: ‘Stay Tuned and You’ll See What We Have to Offer’
CEO Tim Cook this week did an interview with China Daily, where he once again commented on on the future of augmented reality and hinted at Apple’s work on an AR/VR headset. Render via designer Ian Zelbo Cook said that Apple is excited about the opportunities available with augmented reality, which is not too far off from prior comments that he’s made, but he went on to say that people should …
iOS 16 Beta 2 Tidbits: New Wallpaper Colors, Backup Over LTE, SMS Filtering and More
Apple today seeded the second betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 to developers for testing purposes, and the new betas introduce new features and refine some of the changes that Apple made with the first iOS 16 release. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Lock Screen Photo Wallpaper Customization When customizing a photo on the Lock Screen, there are two new DuoTone and…
iPhone’s Built-In Music Recognition Feature Syncs With Shazam App on iOS 16
Since the release of iOS 14.2 in 2020, the iPhone has included a built-in Music Recognition feature in Control Center powered by Shazam. And with iOS 16, and also the iOS 15.6 beta, the feature has received a small but useful upgrade. As noted by Twitter user @someone_andrew, songs identified with Music Recognition in Control Center finally sync with the Shazam app. It also remains…
Apple Launches 2022 Back to School Offer: Up to $150 Gift Card With Mac or iPad
Apple today launched its annual “Back to School” promotion for college/university students in the United States and Canada. This year’s promotion offers a free Apple gift card with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad, rather than free AirPods like last year. Apple is also offering students 20% off AppleCare+ plans during the promotion. Apple is offering a $150 gift card with the purchase …
Apple Seeds Second Betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 to Developers
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming two weeks after Apple unveiled the new software at WWDC and released the initial betas. Registered developers can download the iOS and iPadOS 16 profiles from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, the betas will be available over the air. Given…
Apple Rumored to Announce ‘Game-Changer’ AR/VR Headset in January 2023
Apple is “likely” to announce its long-rumored mixed-reality headset as soon as January 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reiterated. Concept render based on purported leaked information by Ian Zelbo In a detailed post on Medium, Kuo explained that Apple’s headset will be a “game-changer” for the augmented-reality and virtual-reality market. Describing some of the headset’s…
