Apple are said to be considering bidding for the rights to stream various English football games, according to Bloomberg.
It is said that Apple are keen to stream Premier League matches in the UK, as well as lower league games from the EFL (English Football League). Rights to show the English top-flight on TV are currently shared by Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime.
Apple, who launched their TV+ streaming service in 2019, are well known for popular series such as Ted Lasso, which follows an American coach managing a fictional Premier League team called AFC Richmond.
But the streaming service have also dipped their toes into the live sporting world recently too, agreeing a $2.5billion 10-year deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) to broadcast games on its platform whilst also streaming MLB (Major League Baseball) regularly.
The Premier League’s current three-year deal with Sky Sports and BT Sport is set to expire in 2025, selling domestic rights for between 2022-2025 for $6.3billion (£5.12billion) while the EFL is offering the rights to seasons starting in 2024.
A bid from Apple could be the largest threat to Sky Sports’ dominance of Premier League coverage, gaining exclusive rights to the competition back in 1992 during its inaugural campaign.