Proactive Investors - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is reportedly looking to bid for the streaming rights to a handful of English Premier League (EPL) games in the UK.
Bloomberg suggests the tech company’s bid is a move that would step up its sports offering, which currently includes Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball in the US.
The EPL sold its UK streaming rights for 2022 to 2025 to Sky Sports, BT (LON:BT), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) for US$6.3bn.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg suggests that Apple will also be bidding for streaming rights to English Football League (EFL) games.
A spokesperson for the EFL confirmed that it is reviewing several potential bids which could see the value of its current deal double.
Sky Sports, which has exclusively broadcasted EFL games since 2002 in the UK, currently pays £119mln-a-year for that luxury.
However, the football governing body is looking to switch to a hybrid model, like the one the Premier League adopts, which could see it receive close to £200mln-a-year.
Rumoured parties interested in the rights include sports broadcasting giant Dazn and Swedish company Viaplay.
All EFL games are available for purchase, which could lead to the end of the 3pm Saturday blackout.
The EFL believes there is demand for more of its games, with Sky currently only broadcasting 138 games per year, with very few League One and League Two games making the TV screens.
England’s top division believes limiting the number of matches broadcasted increases the value of their rights, albeit all Premier League games are broadcasted live in most countries globally.
Streaming rights is where the money is at in football and goes some way in explaining US interest in hoovering up EPL clubs.
Of the 20 top-flight teams, Arsenal, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United (currently) are owned by American investors.
Five clubs, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leeds and Manchester City, have some form of US investment, meaning Americans have their fingers in half of the EPL.
US interest is not just limited to the Premier League, with EFL clubs a target for those without the deep pockets required for a multi-billion pound takeover.
American investors are involved in the likes of Millwall, Ipswich and, perhaps most famously, Wrexham, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
According to a report in The Times, many American investors are convinced that the next big jump in domestic TV rights in the EFL is just around the corner, not surprising given the EFL is welcoming bids for all its games.
This jump, the investors believe, will either by streaming giants taking on TV broadcasters, like we are seeing with Apple’s supposed interest, or clubs broadcasting their own games.