Apple’s efforts to broadcast pro football games on Sunday nights reportedly have come to an end. The Mac-maker has pulled out of negotiations with the NFL.
Apple TV+ will continue to boast high-profile sports. But apparently its roster won’t include the NFL Sunday Ticket.
No NFL Sunday Ticket for Apple TV+?
Apple TV+ already offers Friday Night Baseball. And it will be the exclusive streaming source for all Major League Soccer (MLS) games for 10 years, starting with the 2023 season.
Rumors throughout 2022 pointed to negotiations between Major League Football and Apple for rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket. That includes broadcasts of National Football League regular season games. But this is out-of-market games only — games in which someone other than the local team is playing.
Talks have ended, however, according to an unconfirmed report. Dylan Byers said in Puck that, “I’m now told that Apple, once seen as a frontrunner for the rights, has also backed out of those negotiations — not because they can’t afford it, but because they don’t see the logic.”
If true, the very hefty price tag has to be a big reason. The NFL allegedly wants $2.5 billion for each season.
Amazon and Google are supposedly still in the running. And it’s possible Apple is too. An unconfirmed report certainly isn’t the final word.
