According to a report from the British newspaper The Daily Mail, Apple are considering a bid for the rights to English Premier League soccer in the near future.
The source for this information remains anonymous; however there are some significant rumors that suggest Apple will join the fray once the tender for the rights is released before the end of the 2011/2012 season.
Now this isn’t really significant for the U.S market, Apple already offers TV subscriptions to the NBA, MLB and NHL. However, there isn’t much demand for these sports in the UK, and rights to the Premier League would be more successful in the UK than all of the American sports on offer combined.
Apples iTunes revenue from the UK is stable, but Apple TV has struggled because of a lack of live streaming apps offered, logically, this would seem like the perfect move for Apple, and I think it would help generate a lot of revenue, especially now rumors have surfaced that a HDTV launch is on the cards for 2012.
Apple could certainly afford it too, the last rights, currently held by BSkyB, went for around £1.6bn ($2.4bn). Well within the limits of Apples floating assets.
Apple TV has struggled in the UK so far
Now I want to hear from both sides of the pond on this one. If you live in the UK, or indeed anywhere else, could Premier League rights with Apple persuade you to invest in an Apple TV? And if you live in the USA, do any of you have experience with Apple TV sports subscriptions? If you do, we’d love to hear what you think of it. Post up below, I look forward to reading them!
