Apple TV looks to ink $854 million deal to French Ligue 1 football

Apple is looking to pick up the streaming rights for Ligue 1, the French equivalent of the Premier League, which currently plays host to some of the biggest names in the game including French captain Killian Mbappe and his compatriot Ousmane Dembélé.

Oliver Haslam for iMore:

The deal said to be worth €800m (around $854 million), would bring French football to the Apple TV app starting in 2024, and is expected to run through to 2029.

RMC Sport was the first to report news of talks between Apple and the LFP, the outfit in charge of handing out the contracts needed to show Ligue 1 games. Details about the actual deal are hard to come by at the moment, but it’s increasingly clear that Apple sees a future in streaming live sports from around the world…

[I]t’s fair to say that Ligue 1 isn’t the biggest league in Europe despite the presence of Mbappe. Paris Saint Germain stands out as the star-studded team, but the depth of the league beyond the capital city is lacking. To make a real dent in the world of live sports Apple would surely need to get that Premier League deal over the line. Spain’s LaLiga would be another big get for Apple, as would Germany’s Bundesliga. Add those to Ligue 1 and Apple will have quite the collection.


MacDailyNews Take: Hit series and blockbuster movies come and go, but live sports is the eternal differentiator.

Perhaps Cook should consider bidding for and winning NFL Sunday Ticket away from Direct TV, buying rights to Premiere League and La Liga games, etc. and making them Apple TV exclusives. Go directly to the sports leagues with boatlods of cash. Maybe that’ll grease the wheels [with reticent content providers]. It’ll certainly move a bunch of Apple TV boxes around the world in short order.MacDailyNews, May 6, 2014

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