Malcolm Owen
Apple TV+ could add a collegiate league to its sporting roster, with it said to have offered a streaming deal to executives of the Pac-12 Conference.
Apple has made a number of major deals with sports leagues, including MLS and MLB, to stream content over its Apple TV platform. In an attempt to get more content for people to stream, Apple is now going after college sports.
According to ESPN writer Pete Thamel on X, the Pac-12 meeting on Tuesday had Apple in attendance, presenting to executives a streaming deal for Apple TV. While there are few details about the deal itself, it is claimed that there were incentivized tiers based on reaching certain levels of subscriptions.
The tiered deal echoes a similar situation with Major League Soccer, with a report from March alleging that Apple had an "opt-out" clause if the deal didn't bring in a certain number of subscriptions within a timeframe.
Despite the presentation, Thamel says there aren't any expected decisions from schools or management about the deal at this early stage. Campus management is likely to be "digesting the possibilities of a stream-centric future" and the varying potential income from it, Thamel writes.
Sources: The primary deal presented to Pac-12 executives/ADs today was an primarily Apple streaming deal. The deal would have incentivized tiers, which would give it strong upside *if* certain subscriptions numbers are met. w/@CFBHeather
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 1, 2023
"The money piece is tricky because of the variables of subscriptions," Thamel adds.
The actual amounts each school could get from the deal are unknown, but it's estimated that each could receive about $25 million apiece. This would be lower than the $31 million the Big 12 conference managed to get in a recent rights negotiation, but the bonus incentives could offer enough to get close to that figure.
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8 Comments
Or what’s left of it. Should get fire sale pricing.
Bold prediction on Apple's part thinking that the Pac12 will be around in a year.
PAC 12 is set to possibly lose another 2-3 teams soon. It’s in danger of disappearing in the next year. It would be wiser for Apple to ink a relationship with The Big Ten Network. This is by far the most popular network in College Football. With USC and UCLA leaving the PAC 12 to go to the Big Ten, the Big Ten is now the most powerful network. Oregon is next to leave.
It started life as the PAC 8, and is soon returning to its roots. After wooing some good second tier schools such as those Cal States with competitive programs (San Diego, San Jose, Fresno) they can be a good rival to the Mountain West Conference. Their days as a premiere conference are sadly over.