Apple leaves the field in NFL Sunday Ticket negotiations

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AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited December 2022
Apple has allegedly backed out of its negotiations for the NFL Sunday Ticket, a deal that could've provided games to Apple TV+ subscribers at no cost.

NFL Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket


The fight for the NFL Sunday Ticket has been hotly contested between streaming media giants, including Amazon, Disney, and Google. However, it is now said that Apple is distancing itself from the fight, potentially due to not getting what it wants.

According to a Puck News report, Apple was seen as a frontrunner to the rights for the NFL Sunday Ticket, which could've brought NFL games to the streaming service. However, Apple has reportedly "backed out of those negotiations."

While the report doesn't state specifically what Apple objected to, it adds that Apple pulled out "not because they can't afford it, but because they don't see the logic."

It is probable that the "logic" boils down to attempts by Apple to offer a sweet deal to its customers that the NFL objected to. In Friday's Sportico report about the ongoing negotiations, Apple wanted to secure the NFL Sunday Ticket and offer it to users as part of the existing Apple TV+ subscription, without any additional cost.

The NFL was not keen on this proposal, as it wanted to "protect the interests" of broadcast partners CBS and Fox, who pay in the region of $40 billion for rights to the 2023 season and beyond.

Other limitations, such as maintaining geographic blackouts for games and minimal international streaming rights, may also have put Apple off the deal.

While Apple is apparently no longer a frontrunner, the negotiations for the NFL Sunday Ticket will apparently continue into 2023. But with such an extended period for discussions, it's still entirely plausible for Apple to keep its hat in the ring despite the seemingly onerous terms.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    KaseyKeiserkaseykeiser Posts: 12member
    As an AppleTV+ subscriber, I can say that ATV needs a LOT more sports offerings then they currently have. And it should come with the regular subscription price. I’m sure this would certainly broaden their viewing audience. 
    lkruppgrandact73
     1Like 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 2 of 11
    foregoneconclusionforegoneconclusion Posts: 2,959member
    KaseyKeiser said:
    And it should come with the regular subscription price.
    NFL Sunday Ticket is in the range of $17-22 PER WEEK currently. Offering that service within an Apple TV+ subscription would have been an absolutely bonkers deal for $6.99 PER MONTH. It's not really the type of thing you should expect at all. 
    rezwitsapplebynatureronald_schoedellolliverwatto_cobra
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  • Reply 3 of 11
    george kaplangeorge kaplan Posts: 169member
    foregoneconclusion said:
    KaseyKeiser said:
    And it should come with the regular subscription price.
    NFL Sunday Ticket is in the range of $17-22 PER WEEK currently. Offering that service within an Apple TV+ subscription would have been an absolutely bonkers deal for $6.99 PER MONTH. It's not really the type of thing you should expect at all. 
    Directv famously lost money on it’s exclusive for years, using the access to NFL ST as an attraction for subscribers, to boost total subscriber numbers and get same to also pay for HBO, RSNs, etc. 

    Apple has never been interested in losing money long-term on anything. An exclusive with NFL ST would certainly cause a price hike. Alternatively, it could be in-app subscription, but people who stream are already worn out by the sheer number and cost of programming options. Add in the fact this service may not have been available to show in UK, or India, or China, and it would have even less appeal to a global streaming platform. 
    n2itivguyronald_schoedelwatto_cobraFileMakerFeller
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  • Reply 4 of 11
    neverindoubtneverindoubt Posts: 120member
    “ The NFL was not keen on this proposal, as it wanted to "protect the interests" of broadcast partners CBS and Fox, who pay in the region of $40 billion for rights to the 2023 season. ”

    Fox & CBS together will pay ~$4 billion/year for their NFL rights deal beginning in 2023, not $40 billion. Because a cheap Sunday Ticket deal would cause some people to watch ST instead of CBS/Fox games, the NFL is contractually obligated to keep ST expensive.

    NBC will pay ~$2 billion, Disney/ABC/ESPN slightly more, Amazon slightly less, but none of them is threatened by Sunday Ticket switching.
    applebynaturewatto_cobratdknox
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  • Reply 5 of 11
    mark fearingmark fearing Posts: 448member
    Don't need more sports in our house. One of the reasons we dumped cable years ago was the ESPN costs. No one here cares or watches. I guess the mega-sports concerns will just continue to grab the wallets of 'fans'. 
    applebynatureronald_schoedelwatto_cobrabloggerblog
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  • Reply 6 of 11
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,181member
    If you're not willing to announce you are walking away, you're not negotiating, you're stalling. It would not surprise me that this goes either way. Apple may ultimately get a deal; but OTOH, Apple is famous for their negotiating strategy being predicated on "for us to win and agree, the other side must totally lose." They do tend to think zero-sum, not win-win. 

    I'd like a PPV model for sports, but that isn't ever going to happen.
    gatorguywatto_cobra
     2Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 11
    ronald_schoedelronald_schoedel Posts: 6member
    Good. No way do I want to pay for the cost of any NFL games bundled into my Apple TV+ subscription. It holds exactly zero value for me, but the price absolutely would eventually have to be recouped, as Apple does not take on money-losing ventures.
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 11
    libertyforalllibertyforall Posts: 1,418member
    The NFL is boneheaded and greedy, this is just one night of football. It’s not like it’s all the games.
    watto_cobra
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  • Reply 9 of 11
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,931moderator
    CBS and FOX shelled out a combined $40 billion for 2023 and future seasons?  Wow, $40 billion us a lot if money.  I wonder what Apple spend developing Apple Music Sing, which I'm finding to be a huge hit with my friends here in the Philippines.  Probably a few hundred thousand bucks.  I'm confident Apple can do more with whatever the final bid on Sunday Ticket amounts to versus shelling that money out to the NFL only to provide it free to us Apple TV+ subscribers.  Thanks, but I'm good without it.  
    watto_cobra
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  • Reply 10 of 11
    siretmansiretman Posts: 120member
    The NFL is boneheaded and greedy, this is just one night of football. It’s not like it’s all the games.
    You are wrong. This is for every football game that is not on Thursday night, Sunday night or Monday night. I have been a customer since 2004. There are blackouts so that your local channel is protected. This is a big deal. 
    edited December 2022
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  • Reply 11 of 11
    jgreg728jgreg728 Posts: 118member
    Disappointing but oh well, get Paramount+ through Apple TV channels and pretend its Sunday football games are the Sunday ticket deal 😂.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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