Apple had emerged as the favorite to secure the NFL’s Sunday Ticket franchise. After securing the rights to the Super Bowl halftime show for five years and upwards of $250 million, signs seem to be pointing even more clearly to Apple becoming the new home of Sunday Ticket.
Via Tripp Mickle of the New York Times, negotiations between the NFL and Apple have “dragged” due to the price the league seeks. Reportedly, the NFL wants $2.5 billion per year for the out-of-market games package.
The NFL has discussed Sunday Ticket with Google, Amazon, and Disney. Multiple reports have pegged Apple as the eventual winner. Per Mickle, executives with both the NFL and Apple have told business partners that they expect to get a deal done.
Mickle also reports that the NFL has encouraged other media companies to make a bid. Some, however, have been leery about he possibility of becoming a pawn in the broader chess match between the NFL and Apple.
For years, networks have paid a premium for NFL rights in order to boost the rest of its offerings. Apple could do just that, if it acquires Sunday Ticket.
In July, Commissioner Roger Goodell said a decision on Sunday Ticket is coming in the fall. The fall has officially begun. It ends in fewer than three months.
In fewer than four months, DirecTV’s 28-year hammerlock on Sunday Ticket concludes. Plenty of consumers would prefer that it end sooner. Sooner than later, we’ll all know where Sunday Ticket will be in 2023.