Apple is reportedly doubling down on its live sports efforts thanks to a first-of-its-kind deal with FIFA, world football’s governing body, that would give it global television rights to a new tournament.
The TV deal could be announced as soon as this month, with the tournament set to take place in the United States next summer. reported THE New York Timesciting three people familiar with the matter.
The deal with Apple would be unique for FIFA, which usually strikes deals with multiple TV providers in different countries for global tournaments such as the World Cup.
On the other hand, the deal with Apple could omit free streaming rights, which could make the tournament accessible only to Apple TV+ subscribers, a point that has raised concerns among some senior FIFA executives, according to the Times.
“As a general rule, FIFA neither confirms nor denies commercial discussions,” a FIFA spokesperson said. Fortune.
Apple struck a similarly exclusive 10-year deal to secure Major League Soccer streaming rights at a price Price of $2.5 billion last year. The deal, which Apple dubbed MLS Season Pass, was prescient for the tech company. Apple TV+ subscriptions jumped by more than 100,000 in one day, up from around 6,000 the day before, after World Cup winner Lionel Messi’s match. first game with the MLS Club Inter Miami CF in June, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Although Apple does not report Apple TV+ revenue, the services business segment to which it belongs generated net revenue of $85.2 billion in 2023, up 9% from $78.1 billion from the previous year, according to the company’s latest report. 10K deposit with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Competition for live sports has recently intensified as streaming companies seek to expand live sports. Peacock broadcast its third exclusive National Football League match in March and Amazon Prime just completed the second year of a billion-dollar-per-season deal to carry the NFL’s Thursday Night Football programming. Apple has recently increased its interest in live sports offerings.
The tech company competes with other streamers such as Amazon Prime Video, Google YoutubeAnd Netflix to guarantee the rights to certain NBA games, the Athletic reported Monday. Apple also reached a streaming rights deal with Major League Baseball in 2022.
The new World Cup-style tournament, which FIFA previously announced would be called the FIFA Club World Cup (although this name is reportedly under review), will include 32 teams. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has long advocated for a competition that would pit some of the world’s best football clubs against each other every four years. Powerhouse clubs such as FC Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain FC and Serie A champions Inter Milan are already qualified to participate, according to FIFA.
