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Apple has emerged as the leading bidder to secure media rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket, according to a report by Puck.
Sunday Ticket, which has been on DirecTV since 1994 and allows subscribers to watch every NFL game on Sundays regardless of their home market, has been a coveted package by companies including Amazon and Disney.
- The NFL is seeking up to $3 billion annually for rights.
- DirecTV’s current deal, which ends after 2022, is worth $1.5 billion for the 2022 season.
- A deal for Sunday Ticket could also include satellite rights for subscribers in rural areas.
- An additional caveat to a potential pact is Sunday Ticket’s availability in restaurants and bars.
Not only is the NFL looking to find a new rights holder for Sunday Ticket, but America’s most popular professional sports league is also looking to bundle the package with a stake in NFL Media — which includes NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL.com.
Strong Start
Sunday Ticket would bolster Apple’s portfolio of live sports offerings after its first foray into the business in March, when the tech giant secured media rights to stream MLB in a deal worth $85 million annually.
Last month, Apple made another investment in live sports after it agreed to a deal worth at least $2.5 billion to stream MLS matches that also includes MLS Next Pro and MLS Next games.
