Apple is looking for more ways to bring sports to its Apple TV+ streaming service, and the latest may be a bid for streaming rights for the Dutch Eredivisie soccer league.
Apple TV+ is allegedly seeking to secure Eredivisie soccer matches
Apple has had some success adding sporting events to Apple TV+, including the November 16 announcement that a Major League Soccer season pass will stream every live game from February 2023. However, Apple is now seemingly looking further afield to extend its soccer efforts.
It is claimed by Netherlands-based sports marketer Chris Woerts that Apple has entered discussions over broadcast rights for Everdivisie matches, the country's soccer league, according to iCreate. If successful, Apple could provide Apple TV+ subscribers with more soccer matches to watch through its service, starting in 2025.
While promising, Apple has a lot of competition to take on., with Amazon and Netflix said to be preparing their own bids for the sporting content, among others.
Woerts says that cable operator Ziggo is in the mix as well, and it is likely to make a serious offer of 150 million to 200 million euros ($156 million to $208 million) per year.
Currently, ESPN owns the broadcasting rights for Eredivisie matches, and will hold on to them until 2024. It is estimated that, during ESPN's tenure, 1.2 million people were prepared to subscribe to watch the matches.
It is likely that Apple will offer a similar package to soccer fans for the Eredivisie matches as MLS, with a monthly subscription or a season-long pass to watch all matches.
Soccer isn't the only sport on Apple's mind. It already has a MLB Friday Night Baseball deal, and it's also trying to secure the NFL Sunday Ticket.