Reports: Apple Interested In Pac-12 Media Rights
Apr 21, 2020, 1:45 PM | Updated: Jun 3, 2020, 12:29 pm
The Apple logo is displayed on the exterior of an Apple Store on February 1, 2018 in San Francisco, California. Apple will report quarterly earnings after the closing bell. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Pac-12 media rights will be up for negotiation in 2024 and according to multiple reports tech giant Apple is interested.
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This would be the first partnership of this kind for Apple and would bring live sports to Apple TV+, a streaming service.
According to Sports Business Daily, Apple executives told conference officials they see live sports as something that can set them apart from competitors.
“This is what they’re telling us,” Pac-12 Networks President Mark Shuken said in the report. “Several of them have come to us and said that they want to be in this space.”
Apple apparently still interested in a streaming deal for Pac-12 college sports (Dennis Sellers/Apple World Today) https://t.co/KeCiV7C602
— Apple Rumors Feed (@AppleRumorsFeed) April 21, 2020
The report also stated that Apple expressed interest in only the primary media rights package, not the digital one. Those primary rights are currently owned by ESPN and FOX.
Benefits Of A Partnership Between Apple, Pac-12 Conference
One benefit to a partnership between Apple and the Pac-12 is proximity. Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California – not far from Pac-12 headquarters in San Fransisco, California.
Another important note is that Apple already has a smaller tie in with the conference. The Pac-12 app is carried on Apple TV.
As more and more streaming-only services pop up, like ESPN+, the Pac-12 Conference has a few years to evaluate how they want to proceed with media rights.
Tech companies, including Apple, interested in Pac-12 media rights starting in 2024 https://t.co/teBFbNmFzl pic.twitter.com/zmD2rrDR9G
— College Football (@CollegeFootball) April 20, 2020
“We’re kind of lucky because we can watch some of the other direct-to-consumer models now and see how they play out,” Shuken said. “Companies are really testing the models right now to figure out the best way to do it.”
Currently, Apple TV+ carries all original content – movies and TV series, adding live sports could help put them ahead of the competition.
