: Daily Mail (UK): iWant! Apple stalk TV deal for Premier League


Fuji
Jan 4th, 2012, 05:47 PM
Interesting.

Article here: Apple want Premier League TV rights: Charles Sale | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2081869/Apple-want-Premier-League-TV-rights-Charles-Sale.html)

iWant! Apple stalk TV deal for Premier League
By CHARLES SALE
Last updated at 1:04 PM on 4th January 2012

Computer giants Apple are showing interest in joining the billion-pound battle for the next set of live Premier League TV rights when the tender goes out before the end of the season.

The Premier League is seen as the type of premium content that will help establish Apple TV in the UK and boost iPad sales, while the iTunes subscription service infrastructure is already in place.

The involvement of Apple - and their great multimedia rivals Google are also expected to make similar soundings - would give the PL a hugely competitive market at a time when the price of other TV sports rights are in decline.

The three certain bidders will be Sky, who paid £1.6billion for their current packages, ESPN, who say they are determined to buy more PL content, and Middle East network Al Jezeera, who also have the resources to break the Rupert Murdoch stranglehold on the Premier League.

In contrast the FA have had to accept a 30 per cent-plus drop in the price of a two-year FA Cup and England renewal with ITV. The £42m-a-year deal has been delayed while talks took place over increasing the price for more England matches, but no definite extra dates have been agreed.