Once again, Apple has been rumored to bid for the English Premier League football streaming rights as the Cupertino firm plans to increase its sports offering. This time, Bloomberg reports that Apple wants the rights to stream Premier League and other lower league matches in the UK.
Previously, the Daily Mail said that Apple unveiling the documentary The War of Football, which is about the European Super League, was a way for the company to show that it “dipped its toe into the Premier League market.”
That said, the league is still in the middle of its three-year deal with Sky Sports and BT Sport, which expires in 2025. With that, Apple TV Plus and other providers may start bidding for the Premier League’s rights later this year.
Sky Sports has had the right to this league since 1992, and it would show an important paradigm shift if Apple can secure the deal for 2026. With Major League Soccer, Apple TV Plus will be offering subscribers the ability to watch the matches in all regions the streaming is available.
As previously reported by BGR, that was one of the reasons why Apple backed out of the NFL Sunday deal, as it wouldn’t be able to stream the matches internationally and couldn’t access in-market games.
With Major League Soccer, on the other hand, Apple and the league will collaborate on marketing, as the Apple TV logo will appear on every MLS team jersey, apart from the international availability. The season pass will be available for subscribers starting next month and could hint at what Apple would be offering to the Premier League deal.
Apart from that, Apple also streams Friday Night Baseball, with games from the Major Baseball League ever since 2022. The games are available at no additional cost to Apple TV Plus subscribers, and the new season resumes next month.
