Recent reports indicate that Apple TV and FIFA are in advanced talks to secure a broadcast rights deal for the 2025 Club World Cup. The tournament, featuring 32 teams from each of the six confederations, will take place in the United States next year. Sources suggest that the deal will be announced as soon as this month.
Potential Deal between Apple TV and FIFA
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The revamped Club World Cup is expected to showcase some of the top teams globally. This includes European giants like Man City and Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, Flamengo, and Monterrey. The tournament is scheduled to run between June 15 and July 13, 2025.
Meanwhile, this potential agreement would mark the first time FIFA has ever sold broadcast rights to just one company. While FIFA initially estimated the tournament’s value at around $4 billion, rumors suggest Apple could secure the rights for as little as $1 billion.
Streaming Services Interest
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Streaming services are increasingly interested in broadcasting live sports to attract more subscribers. For instance, Amazon Prime has been streaming Thursday night NFL games since 2022, while Peacock streamed a National Football League playoff game last season. Apple has also secured a deal to stream Major League Baseball games. Netflix, on the other hand, focuses more on sports documentaries, though it recently ventured into live “sports-adjacent programming. This includes a multibillion-dollar agreement to stream World Wrestling Entertainment’s flagship weekly wrestling show, “Raw. Also, Netflix announced that it would stream a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul in July.
FIFA had hoped that its tournament, which will feature successful teams from across the world, including 12 teams from Europe where most of the world’s top talent plays, would create substantial demand from broadcasters and commercial partners. However, broadcasters were hesitant to meet the figures FIFA had requested due to a combination of poor planning and delays.
Growing Presence of Apple TV in Soccer
However, Apple has already made significant investments in soccer, signing a $2.5 billion deal last year with Major League Soccer to stream MLS and League Cup games on Apple TV+. Apple’s new venture into soccer has been successful. The streaming platform surpassed two million subscribers for the MLS Season Pass in 2020, according to Sports Business Journal.
Live sports have become a key focus for Apple TV+ aiming to attract new customers to its streaming service. Along with soccer, Apple has also secured deals with Major League Baseball and is reportedly still negotiating streaming access to NBA games.
However, it remains unclear if the deal will include any free-to-air rights, which could limit access to the tournament for non-subscribers of Apple TV+. Regardless, the agreement will be a historic first for FIFA. Also, it’ll be another example of Apple’s growing presence in the world of sports.
Also Read: Man City Superstar Confesses to Having Nightmares after their shocking UCL exit on the 16th
Conclusion
If the reported talks between Apple TV+ and FIFA materialize, it would mark a major milestone. The deal would be the first time FIFA has ever sold broadcast rights to a single company. Apple’s significant investments in soccer and live sports are crucial to attracting new customers to its streaming service. This potential agreement would be another substantial investment for Apple, providing more content for its customers. In all, football fans across the globe anticipate to see if the deal pulls through.
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Edmund Jaja is a sports enthusiast, Content Writer, Editor, and Storyteller from Nigeria. He’s been a die-hard Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United fan since the Fergie era, with the zeal and passion to inspire through writing.
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