Apple has reportedly held talks with Germany’s Bundesliga about streaming the league’s matches on Apple TV+, taking over streaming rights from ESPN from the start of the 2026/27 football season, sources familiar with the matter have told World Soccer Talk.
Christopher Harris for World Soccer Talk:
Currently, ESPN has an exclusive rights deal with the Bundesliga through until the end of the 2025/26 season. ESPN’s partnership with the Bundesliga, which began in 2020 as a streaming-only rights deal in the United States, paved the way for Apple to sign its 10-year streaming-only deal with MLS. Reportedly, the ESPN deal with the Bundesliga is worth $30 million per year.
Bundesliga’s ability to prove that a streaming-only model works recently paid dividends again. In Canada, streaming service DAZN acquired the Bundesliga rights through 2026.
The expiration dates for both the US and Canadian media rights deals line up to end at the close of the 2025/26 season. But so do several other major Bundesliga media deals worldwide. Quite possibly, the Bundesliga and Apple may be interested in a deal that includes more than just the US and Canada.
MacDailyNews Take: We love the Bundesliga (specifically, FC Bayern Munich) and think inking a deal with Apple would be a genius idea (despite its age and provenance).
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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