After inking a deal to carry live Major League Baseball (MLB) games on Friday night, Apple on Tuesday announced an exclusive global media partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) and, according to one Wall Street analyst, this is just the beginning, with the National Football League (NFL) up next.
Josh Schafer for Yahoo Finance:
“They’re doubling down on live sports content, and that’s a big strategy for Cupertino on the content front,” Wedbush Securities Managing Director Dan Ives told Yahoo Finance, referring to Apple’s headquarters in California. “MLB, now MLS, that’s just the start of what we see as much more aggressive content initiatives with the NFL Sunday Ticket being front and center.”
Apple’s new 10-year contract with MLS begins in 2023. While no official purchase number has been released, Sports Business Journal reported Apple spent a minimum of $250 million per year on the partnership which will make the Apple TV app the one-stop destination for every MLS game… Earlier this spring, Apple began its first live sports streaming venture with “Friday Night Baseball” MLB games, reportedly spending nearly $600 million for about 350 games over the next seven years.
Wedbush Securities stated Apple is “in the winner’s circle” for NFL Sunday Ticket. Previously owned and operated by DirecTV, the NFL’s premier streaming package for out-of-market fans is rumored to be worth more than $2 billion per season.
Apple, long known for its technology products, has plenty of capital to deploy in up-and-coming areas of the business. Wedbush is predicting Apple to nearly double its content spend to an estimated $12-15 billion next year.
Most of that spend is expected to be on sports.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple bidding for and winning rights to exclusive live sports is an idea of pure, blinding, stupefying brilliance 😉:
Cook should consider bidding for and winning NFL Sunday Ticket away from DirecTV, buying rights to Premiere League and La Liga games, etc. and making them Apple TV exclusives. Go directly to the sports leagues with boatloads of cash. — MacDailyNews, May 6, 2014
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Pro sports are stupid. It’s comprised of low-IQ degenerates who hate the country that made them undeservedly rich.
People are willing to pay a lot for entertainment – particularly sports. They will easily and without complaint pay $100+ per ticket or or a streaming channel subscription.
Who deserves the money more? I would start with Police, Fire and Teachers. But to ask people people to raise their taxes $100 a year to pay these groups better inevitably causes a firestorm of
protests.
So where does the problem lie?
Athletes and other entertainers are paid well because people think the entertainment they produce is worth it.
How about not whining about things that aren’t going to change and get to work in your community to get Police, Fire and Teachers better paid, even if it means raising taxes?
JT exposes his enormous ignorance.
In human endeavors, whether academic or athletic, there will be a rare few who dedicate their whole focus to singular accomplishments. Rare abilities in a free market are naturally rewarded with huge compensation.
Either JT doesn’t believe in free markets or he’s jealous that he has neither the talent nor intelligence nor cash of a professional.
Maybe all you can be is a bitter dumb iOS game consumer, JT. It’s okay. You’re surrounded by others who can’t accept the fact that they are sore losers too.
BTW: Apple stockholders will be ecstatic over the results of moves like this. Buy now, JT, buy now!
Apple launched its first live sports streaming attempt earlier this spring with “Friday Night Baseball” MLB games, allegedly investing around $600 million over the next seven years for approximately 350 games.
Way to GO MacDaily News on your 2014 prediction!! 🙂