Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Apparently Wants to Offer NFL Sunday Ticket to Apple TV+ Subscribers at No Extra Cost, But NFL Balks

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,493
37,781


Apple has yet to solidify a deal for the NFL Sunday Ticket package and talks could expand into 2023, according to a new report from Sportico (via The Verge).

nfl-sunday-ticket-feature.jpg

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday that the negotiations for Sunday Ticket have reached a "very critical point," with Apple the apparent frontrunner for the rights. The NFL had originally planned to establish a deal in the fall, but the end of the year is approaching and no final terms have been decided as of yet. Goodell said that there is no timeline, and the NFL's decisions are "based on getting the best outcome with the best party."

Sportico says that pricing on Sunday Ticket is a sticking point. Apple wants to include Sunday Ticket access in the $6.99 cost of an Apple TV+ subscription, with no additional charges, but the NFL is not happy with such a low price point as it needs to "protect the interests" of CBS and Fox, its Sunday afternoon broadcast partners. Together, the two networks will pay the NFL $40 billion for the 2023 season.

Disney and Amazon are also both interested in Sunday Ticket, so there are other options for the NFL. Rumors have suggested for months that Apple is the "likely winner" of the NFL Sunday Ticket package, but there were signs of negotiation issues earlier this year when CNBC reported that Apple wanted more contractual flexibility than the NFL was interested in providing.

Apple has been ramping up its sports offerings in recent months in an effort to draw more subscribers to Apple TV+. The company partnered with the MLB for "Friday Night Baseball," and it has inked a 10-year deal with Major League Soccer that is set to kick off next year.

Article Link: Apple Apparently Wants to Offer NFL Sunday Ticket to Apple TV+ Subscribers at No Extra Cost, But NFL Balks
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/12/16/apple-nfl-sunday-ticket-negotiation-issues/
  • Like
Reactions: DeepIn2U
I guess we're about to see 400 posts bashing the NFLs greed while praising Apple's generosity.

I suspect there is more to this story... a whole other side... like Apple is not wanting to help the NFL make MORE money by going this way vs. the traditional way NFL Sunday Ticket is monetized. In other words, another round of Apple trying to get something for towards nothing and expecting the owner of the content to just roll over and accept it for some reason. We've seen this play out MANY times before.

My guess is that unless Apple "shows the NFL the money," this will be yet another red herring with someone else soon announcing they THEY have acquired rights to NFL ST... just like rumors of Apple buying the MGM library (before Amazon actually bought it)... and FOX before that (Disney)... and Warner before that (AT&T, now Discovery)... etc.

It would be VERY, VERY nice to have the NFL ST option on AppleTV. Imagine upgrading the equipment to show all of the games in 4K or more too. Wow! That would sell a LOT of AppleTVs and I- for one- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that little box.

But Apple needs to learn to pitch a true win:win, where the partner on the other end of the deal tangibly benefits by choosing to take Apple's offer. That's why the rumors keep building up the potential and then someone else actually gets the media. Who got that huge video library? Oh, the other player. Who purchased the AAA game studio? Oh, the other player. And so on.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: rafark and bashproshop
The NFL should totally let Apple to do this....

Why? Because I might actually watch a football game again.

And some folks that watch a sport actually then get totally hooked into watching a sport and team(s). These folks then start buying merchandise for the team(s) that they follow. This should be so obvious.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Huck and bashproshop
ScoobyDoo178 said:
If the game is available on the local CBS and FOX channels, it would be blacked out on Sunday Ticket, so I do not see what the NFL is worried about.
Click to expand...

If people get used to getting it for chump change vs. the few hundred it has historically cost, what happens when Apple's deal runs out? It will be much harder to get the fans to accept paying a few hundred again.

Flip the concept: NFL Sunday ticket buyers will get latest iPhone for $6.99/month. Everyone probably buys NFL ST to get the super cheap iPhone pricing (whether they even watch football or not). Then the deal ends and Apple wants people used to buying iPhones for $6.99/month to now pay north of a $1,000 again. That's a difficult thing to pull off.

Think about how hard we freak out around here when Netflix or similar wants to raise the price of their offering by even $1 per month.

Gut guess: NFL is wanting to protect the perceived value of NFL ST, which is undermined by making it "free with this cheap subscription." Keeping people accustomed to paying up for it will make it an appealing product to acquire by the next partner when a potential deal made soon runs out.

I suspect Apple gets NFL ST if they outbid others for it and then sells it as a stand-alone extra much like it has historically been sold. NFL makes more money for the deal and perceived value of the product stays high (a few hundred each year) so that the NEXT time they are seeking bidders for it, the revenue potential for the next partner is a few hundred per subscriber- NOT $6.99.

Furthermore, as it says, CBS and FOX pay $40B to show just a few games a weekend. When they are at the bargaining table for a new contract, they might gripe about Apple getting to show almost ALL of the games for so little. And thus CBS & FOX does not want to pay $45B-50B when their deals wrap up. Just like Apple, NFL wants to maximize revenue & profit.

Maybe if Apple signed on to guarantee that $40B plus whatever NFL wants for ST for a very long time so the NFL knows it will get full current & future value for the product? But I suspect Apple is wanting a bargain for ST and it will end up getting taken by some other player willing to be a more cooperative partner with the NFL. We've seen this same rumor movie play out over and over. Unless Apple shows the NFL the money, we already know how this one ends. Hint: hello Amazon... or Paramount Plus, Hulu, Peacock, etc.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: freedomlinux, centauratlas, nwcs and 1 other person
MacRumors said:
Sportico says that pricing on Sunday Ticket is a sticking point. Apple wants to include Sunday Ticket access in the $6.99 cost of an Apple TV+ subscription, with no additional charges, but the NFL is not happy with such a low price point as it needs to "protect the interests" of CBS and Fox, its Sunday afternoon broadcast partners.
Click to expand...

And this was the sticking point initially for Apple’s MLS contract initially according to industrial rumors. As with Apple’s tradition of not offering additional paid add on their existing paid subscription product (since back to Steve Job’s dat) Apple wanted to include ALL of MLS coverage on Apple TV+ without additional charge, including out of market. This would’ve been a huge game changer.

When MLS balked at that, Apple changed it so only Apple One Premier customers get all of MLS at no additional charge.

Apple charging additional monthly fee for all customers finally allowed the company to get the MLS deal, despite the fact that Steve Jobs is probably rolling in his grave for allowing Apple to concede to that agreement and charge consumers additional money for
Service they already get for.

Unfortunately looks like Apple may have to charge additional fees to customers for Sunday Ticket on top of Apple TV+, and Jobs is probably rolling in his grave again for Apple to concede to that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rafark
OutOfShape80sWrestler said:
8K sports will be almost like being there in person.
Click to expand...
At standard view distances, 8K offers no resolution advantages for even the largest living room screens.

www.forbes.com

Don't Be Fooled. 8K TVs Are A Waste Of Money For Most Viewers

What's on the screen and what your eyes can see are two different things.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com

Even in most theaters, you're talking about needing to sit in the first row to maybe get some benefit.

8K is a scheme to sell new TVs with serious drawbacks for content creation and distribution.
 
  • Like
Reactions: noraa, Mysteriousone, 4odomi and 3 others
I think Apple is offering to pay the NFL a lot more than can be realized by simply including ST in the Apple TV+ subscription. It will use ST as a loss leader. Goodell and Company do not want to be seen as bait to allow Apple to entice additional subscribers. They want to be the whole enchilada.
 
chouseworth said:
I think Apple is offering to pay the NFL a lot more than can be realized by simply including ST in the Apple TV+ subscription. It will use ST as a loss leader. Goodell and Company do not want to be seen as bait to allow Apple to entice additional subscribers. They want to be the whole enchilada.
Click to expand...
That's literally what DirecTV did from day 1.

They included Sunday Ticket for free for a season or two to entice new subscriptions. And when the promo ran out you could threaten to cancel and they would give you another season or a very significant discount on it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HockeytownRay
I would rather they lower the price of Apple TV and charge extra if you want the Sunday Ticket.
 
skiguy45 said:
At standard view distances, 8K offers no resolution advantages for even the largest living room screens.

www.forbes.com

Don't Be Fooled. 8K TVs Are A Waste Of Money For Most Viewers

What's on the screen and what your eyes can see are two different things.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com

Even in most theaters, you're talking about needing to sit in the first row to maybe get some benefit.

8K is a scheme to sell new TVs with serious drawbacks for content creation and distribution.
Click to expand...

These exact same things were spun by people here against 4K before Apple sold a 4K AppleTV and 1080p before Apple sold a 1080p AppleTV.

Then Apple rolls one out and it's as if such claims were never said... and Apple is never called out as crazy for embracing the upgraded resolutions. It seems that no one needs it only while Apple doesn't sell it. But as soon as there is an 8K AppleTV, "everyone should upgrade because the resolution is incredible", "shut up and take my money", etc. Apparently the human eyes ability to see detail is currently evolving at a remarkable pace... making a big leap every 3 or 4 years... right in line with Apple rolling out the product to match. Amazing! ;)
 
Last edited:
  • Disagree
  • Like
Reactions: noraa, freedomlinux, magicman32 and 1 other person
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back