Apple is reportedly doubling down on its live sports efforts thanks to a first-of-its-kind deal with FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, that would give it global television rights to a new tournament.
The TV deal could be announced as soon as this month, with the tournament set to take place in the United States next summer, the New York Timesciting three people familiar with the matter.
The deal with Apple would be unique for FIFA, which usually strikes deals with multiple TV providers in different countries for global tournaments such as the World Cup.
On the other hand, the deal with Apple could omit free streaming rights, which could make the tournament accessible only to Apple TV+ subscribers, a point that has raised concerns among some senior FIFA executives, according to the Times.
“As a general rule, FIFA neither confirms nor denies commercial discussions,” a FIFA spokesperson said. Fortune.
Apple struck a similarly exclusive 10-year deal to secure streaming rights to Major League Soccer for a price tag of $2.5 billion last year. The deal, which Apple dubbed MLS Season Pass, was prescient for the tech company. Apple TV+ subscriptions jumped by more than 100,000 in one day, up from around 6,000 the day before, after World Cup winner Lionel Messi played his first match for MLS Club Inter Miami CF in June, on Wall Street Journal reported.
Although Apple does not break down Apple TV+ revenue, the services business segment to which it belongs generated net revenue of $85.2 billion in 2023, up 9% from $78.1 billion from the prior year, according to the company’s latest 10K filing with Securities. and Foreign Exchange Commission.
Competition for live sports has recently intensified as streaming companies seek to expand live sports. Peacock aired its third exclusive National Football League game in March, and Amazon Prime just completed the second year of a billion-dollar-per-season deal to carry the NFL’s Thursday Night Football programming. Apple has recently increased its interest in live sports offerings.
The tech company is competing with other streamers such as Amazon Prime Video, Google’s YouTube and Netflix for rights to some NBA games, the Athletic reported Monday. Apple also reached a streaming rights deal with Major League Baseball in 2022.
The new World Cup-style tournament, which FIFA previously announced would be called Mundial de Clubes FIFA (although that name is reportedly under review), will feature 32 teams. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has long advocated for a competition that would pit some of the world’s best football clubs against each other every four years. Powerhouse clubs such as FC Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain FC and Serie A champions Inter Milan are already qualified to participate, according to FIFA.