Apple leaves the field in NFL Sunday Ticket negotiations

Apple has allegedly backed out of its negotiations for the NFL Sunday Ticket, a deal that could've provided games to Apple TV+ subscribers at no cost.

The fight for the NFL Sunday Ticket has been hotly contested between streaming media giants, including Amazon, Disney, and Google. However, it is now said that Apple is distancing itself from the fight, potentially due to not getting what it wants.

According to a Puck News report, Apple was seen as a frontrunner to the rights for the NFL Sunday Ticket, which could've brought NFL games to the streaming service. However, Apple has reportedly "backed out of those negotiations."

While the report doesn't state specifically what Apple objected to, it adds that Apple pulled out "not because they can't afford it, but because they don't see the logic."

It is probable that the "logic" boils down to attempts by Apple to offer a sweet deal to its customers that the NFL objected to. In Friday's Sportico report about the ongoing negotiations, Apple wanted to secure the NFL Sunday Ticket and offer it to users as part of the existing Apple TV+ subscription, without any additional cost.

The NFL was not keen on this proposal, as it wanted to "protect the interests" of broadcast partners CBS and Fox, who pay in the region of $40 billion for rights to the 2023 season and beyond.

Other limitations, such as maintaining geographic blackouts for games and minimal international streaming rights, may also have put Apple off the deal.

While Apple is apparently no longer a frontrunner, the negotiations for the NFL Sunday Ticket will apparently continue into 2023. But with such an extended period for discussions, it's still entirely plausible for Apple to keep its hat in the ring despite the seemingly onerous terms.

11 Comments

KaseyKeiser 12 comments · 7 Years

About 1 year ago

As an AppleTV+ subscriber, I can say that ATV needs a LOT more sports offerings then they currently have. And it should come with the regular subscription price. I’m sure this would certainly broaden their viewing audience.

foregoneconclusion 2836 comments · 12 Years

KaseyKeiser said:

And it should come with the regular subscription price.

NFL Sunday Ticket is in the range of $17-22 PER WEEK currently. Offering that service within an Apple TV+ subscription would have been an absolutely bonkers deal for $6.99 PER MONTH. It's not really the type of thing you should expect at all.

george kaplan 169 comments · 16 Years

foregoneconclusion said:

KaseyKeiser said:

And it should come with the regular subscription price.

NFL Sunday Ticket is in the range of $17-22 PER WEEK currently. Offering that service within an Apple TV+ subscription would have been an absolutely bonkers deal for $6.99 PER MONTH. It's not really the type of thing you should expect at all.

Directv famously lost money on it’s exclusive for years, using the access to NFL ST as an attraction for subscribers, to boost total subscriber numbers and get same to also pay for HBO, RSNs, etc.

Apple has never been interested in losing money long-term on anything. An exclusive with NFL ST would certainly cause a price hike. Alternatively, it could be in-app subscription, but people who stream are already worn out by the sheer number and cost of programming options. Add in the fact this service may not have been available to show in UK, or India, or China, and it would have even less appeal to a global streaming platform.

neverindoubt 120 comments · 16 Years

“ The NFL was not keen on this proposal, as it wanted to "protect the interests" of broadcast partners CBS and Fox, who pay in the region of $40 billion for rights to the 2023 season. ”

Fox & CBS together will pay ~$4 billion/year for their NFL rights deal beginning in 2023, not $40 billion. Because a cheap Sunday Ticket deal would cause some people to watch ST instead of CBS/Fox games, the NFL is contractually obligated to keep ST expensive.

NBC will pay ~$2 billion, Disney/ABC/ESPN slightly more, Amazon slightly less, but none of them is threatened by Sunday Ticket switching.

mark fearing 439 comments · 16 Years

Don't need more sports in our house. One of the reasons we dumped cable years ago was the ESPN costs. No one here cares or watches. I guess the mega-sports concerns will just continue to grab the wallets of 'fans'.