Apple is "considering bidding for the streaming rights to a range of English football games," a move that would "step up its sports ambitions and increase competition" with Amazon's Prime Video, according to sources cited by Giles Turner of BLOOMBERG NEWS. A source said that the move would allow Apple to "show Premier League games in the UK, as well as lower league matches run by the English Football League." Such a move would "build on Apple’s recent expansion into live sports in the US," where it "forged" a $2.5B 10-year deal with MLS to show games on its TV+ platform. The company also streams MLB on Friday nights. Pushing into English football would "pit Apple against entrenched media companies such as Comcast Corp.’s Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.," which last year "agreed to a joint venture with BT Sport." It also could "throw down the gauntlet with Amazon, which has become a force in streaming European football." The EFL is offering the rights to seasons "starting in 2024." The Premier League has a deal with Sky, BT Sport and Amazon for live games that "runs through the 2024-2025 season" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 3/23).
