Apple Has 'Expressed Interest' in NBA Streaming Rights

[Rogifan]

You (and the NBA) miss the point. The local team is the primary team folks want to watch, duh, making NBA League Pass blacking out local teams a cruel joke. NBA's gross incompetence at delivering their product (games) is horrific.

E.g. more than 7 million people live in the SF Bay Area, but NBA management blacks out Warriors games. Why? Because they expect 7M folks to show up live? WTF are the morons thinking? Wannabe fans like me find other entertainment because the fools running the NBA intentionally keep us from watching.

And please do not insult us by telling us we can watch a blacked-out game later. Two days later the game is just a statistic.

It truly is nuts. The NBA badly needs to hire some MBAs. Or just give Apple a shot at it. Apple's track record (Music, App Store, Apple Pay, etc.) is excellent.

Don’t they all do this? I have NFL Sunday ticket and I can only watch my local team on CBS or Fox.

 

[paulyras]

I get this feeling that they're mostly using their interest to run up the cost for competing platforms. Do a limited baseball deal, MLS, but when it comes to the big money, scare the more traditional platforms (and Amazon, YouTube, etc...) into overbidding so Apple can be more competitive elsewhere.

This is why I love apple. They are strategic as F....

 

[paulyras]

Baseball would work for me if they can combine Baseball with Golf and Bowling. Separately, those sports are not interesting to me.

Sorta sounds like competitive corn hole. I saw that the other day and while I wouldn't pay a penny to be able to watch it live or on demand, kept me amused for 30 min or so...

 

[siddavis]

Apple has been excellent in NBA notifications, especially on Apple TV.

You mean annoying? I have no interest and get NBA notifications. I'm sure I just don't know how to turn it off for NBA though.

 

[mattwolfmatt]

If these major sports leagues ever figure out that people are clamoring to watch their local teams (but not pay $100 for ESPN/CNN/FoxNews/History/Discover) they will have so many subscribers.

 

[WWPD]

Baseball would work for me if they can combine Baseball with Golf and Bowling. Separately, those sports are not interesting to me. But combining elements of these games into a single game would be incredible. I would watch it.

Not a fan of watching soccer and basketball. But if you can have the field of soccer with basketball and let the players dribble or kick the ball and goals were done by putting it into a basket. I would like it.

Throw in some UFC and you will have a winner. Imagine someone dribbling the soccer ball down the football field and then getting kicked in the stomach and taken down into a Brazilian Jujitsu submission hold.

 

[NavE22]

Automatic Sign up if Apple wins this bid!

Edit: Extra Automatic if no blackouts.

 

[Hiddecollee]

I am probably naive for saying this, but an organization as big as NBA should create its own streaming service. Cut out the middlemen and create separate packages for the households and businesses. They might miss out on bidding wars and such, but in the long run, it's best to create a lasting relationship directly with the fans.

Agreed. They even could create their own Channels that they will release on the Apple TV app and Amazon apps. Both parties happy.

 

[AHDuke99]

Please bring back the NBA on NBC. It's a terrible product on ESPN

 

[M-Life]

Please bring back the NBA on NBC. It's a terrible product on ESPN

I'm not sure NBC execs are reading these forums, but shoot your shot I guess, pun intended.

 

[compwiz1202]

I've reported this post for hate speech.

Yea, I'll at least watch Baseball or Football, especially if my team is doing well, but nearly never watch Basketball or Hockey.

 

[gbc204]

I am probably naive for saying this, but an organization as big as NBA should create its own streaming service. Cut out the middlemen and create separate packages for the households and businesses. They might miss out on bidding wars and such, but in the long run, it's best to create a lasting relationship directly with the fans.

Uh, the bidding wars are the entire reason they would never create their own streaming service. They already have a lasting relationship with the fans: the sport and the teams. Why create all your new infrastructure when you can just get paid billions upon billions from someone else. Money from TV rights are a huge reason billionaires want to own sports teams in the first place.

 

[philstubbington]

Apple has "expressed interest" in acquiring an NBA streaming package, according to a new report from CNBC. Apple is among other interested parties that include Amazon and NBC Sports, with NBCUniversal particularly interested in reacquiring NBA games.

NBCUniversal is aiming for a deal that would allow it to air playoff games on the NBC network, with some regular season games exclusive to Peacock streaming service. The report does not have specifics on what other potential buyers like Apple might be interested in.

NBC used to have rights to the NBA until Disney and Turner Sports purchased them more than 20 years ago, and negotiations cannot restart unless Turner Sports and Disney agree to waive an exclusive negotiation window that expires in April 2024. The NBA could ultimately opt to extend its contract with Disney and Turner Sports rather than taking bids from outside companies, but there is a chance at this point that Apple will be able to make a bid.

CNBC suggests that the NBA could create two packages for bidders, with content for three or four partners split between streaming and traditional TV.

Apple has been pursuing sports content in an effort to attract new viewers to the Apple TV+ streaming service. The company has signed deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. MLS games will be available in February, with the MLS Season Pass priced at $14.99 per month or $99 per season, while MLB content premiered last spring with Friday Night Baseball.

Article Link: Apple Has 'Expressed Interest' in NBA Streaming Rights

If they also got the rights for European basketball that would be fantastic!

 

[Alan Wynn]

I have better chances at watching a streamed NBA game when I pirate it than when I pay for the NBA League Pass subscription.

This is the one case where an argument in favor of piracy is completely correct.

The blackout games depending on market and certain network rights make it impossible to view some games, for example; in 2016 I was living in Toronto and had League Pass and wanted to watch the All-Star that took place IN Toronto..... but couldnt, because of local networks owning the rights. Absolutely ridiculous.

It would be one thing if they had a blackout to sell tickets at the stadium, but that is a clear case where the game was sold out and yet they still had a blackout.

The League Pass is a joke and if Apple somehow managed to trump the stupid blackouts, I'd subscribe. Otherwise; the NBA can pound sand.

I still would not subscribe, as I am not really a basketball fan, but I would consider it so that when friends come over they could watch. However, it would require that it be blackout free.

 

[steve09090]

Okay, here’s an option for everyone. I notice League passes are ridiculous prices for a single sport. And even then there are a whole bunch of games you can’t see that are blackout for stupid reasons.

In Australia we have Kayo Sports, owned by FoxSports. It includes NBA, MBL NFL, NSL, ATP Tennis etc. Its about A$30 (US$21) per month and all you would need is a VPN.

 

[ryguyMN]

Please bring back the NBA on NBC. It's a terrible product on ESPN

I'm more of an NHL fan and it's amazing how much life ESPN sucks out of its sports properties. TNT puts on a much better TV production for the NHL.

 

[badsky2k]

Yawn....

 

[AbSoluTc]

No thanks. This just means ATV+ will increase in price for something I don't want or care about. Make it an addon people can buy if they want.

 

[psingh01]

It seems crazy that most games are sellouts or close to it and they still do this. It seems like they are penalising the fans.

Having games available means more fans are watching, getting invested and ultimately that means more revenue.

They want people to pay for cable and watch on the local/regional channel that broadcasts the games. I don’t think the NBA blacks out games that are not sellouts. That is an NFL thing.

In my town back in the 90s some local team games were on free tv channels and others were on a regional cable sports channel. Now they all are on the regional sports channel unless it is a national game in which case it is on ESPN, TNT or occasionally ABC network.

Only the ABC games are free now.