Apple set to enter bidding war for English Premier League streaming rights
The bidding process for the next set of rights set to begin later this year
San Francisco: Tech giant Apple is preparing a bid for the rights to stream the English Premier League in the UK, the media reported.
According to The Daily Mail, the Premier League's current three-year agreement with the UK-based Sky Sports and BT Sport expires in 2025, with the bidding process for the next set of rights set to begin later this year.
The report further mentioned that many American-owned clubs, such as Chelsea under Todd Boehly, believe the current rights are undervalued at $6.23 billion over three years and are looking to the US technology companies to increase the price.
The tech giant is looking to expand its sports coverage, building on a decade-long deal it recently secured to exclusively stream Major League Soccer (MLS) on Apple TV beginning next month, according to the report.
In November 2022, Apple and Major League Soccer announced plans to launch a streaming service on February 1, 2023.
The 'MLS Season Pass' streaming service will feature "live MLS regular-season matches, entire playoffs, and the Leagues Cup, all with no blackouts", Apple said in a blogpost.
The service will make MLS more accessible to a global audience in a more streamlined manner.
Starting from February 1, users can subscribe to the service on the Apple TV application for $14.99 per month or $99 per season.