Sources: Apple has had discussions with NFL execs to buy streaming rights for Sunday Ticket games, which currently air on DirecTV
and it could be a game changer Michael Simon / Macworld : The NFL reportedly wants Apple to air NFL games in 2023 Deadline : Apple Exploring Streaming NFL's Sunday Ticket Games On Apple TV+ Adam Rowe / Tech.co : Why Apple's Interested in the NFL's Sunday Ticket Games Maggie Tillman / Pocket-lint : Is NFL Sunday Ticket coming to Apple TV+? Apple is in early talks Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac : Apple still in ‘early talks’ with NFL about acquiring the rights to Sunday Ticket games Juli Clover / MacRumors : Apple in Talks With NFL for Sunday Ticket Streaming Chavi Mehta / Reuters : Apple in early talks for streaming rights of NFL Sunday Ticket games: The Information PYMNTS.com : Apple Advances Discussions To Stream Sunday NFL Games William Gallagher / AppleInsider : NFL looks for new Sunday Ticket deal, Apple may be in early talks iClarified : Apple is Interested in Streaming Rights for NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ Games [Report] Oliver Haslam / iMore : Apple TV+ said to be in ‘early talks’ about getting NFL Sunday Ticket games Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Philip Elmer‑DeWitt : Is Sunday Football coming to Apple TV+? MacDailyNews : Apple in talks for NFL Sunday Ticket streaming rights Jess Barnes / Cord Cutters News : Apple Shows Interest in NFL Sunday Ticket Dylan Byers / NBC News : Apple in early talks to stream NFL Sunday Ticket games Ian Carlos Campbell / The Verge : Apple reportedly wants in on NFL Sunday Ticket Evan Selleck / iDownloadBlog.com : Apple said to be interested in locking down streaming rights to the NFL's ‘Sunday Ticket’ Mike Snider / USA Today : Could Apple TV soon be the home of NFL Sunday Ticket? The bidding will kick off soon John Gruber / Daring Fireball : The Information: Apple in Early Talks With NFL for ‘Sunday Ticket’ Streaming Rights Jason Gurwin / The Streamable : Could NFL Sunday Ticket Move to Apple TV+? Jack Purcher / Patently Apple : Apple is reportedly in Early Talks with NFL for Sunday Ticket Games, though they're only one of many wanting streaming rights Tweets: @variety : Looks like our incisive VIP+ analyst correctly called it back in March that Apple was a likely suitor for NFL Sunday Ticket https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/... Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed : 🏈 this would be huge if it happens — #sundayticket @Apple $AAPL https://twitter.com/... Gavin Bridge / @iruletv : Who said back on March 1 to expect Apple looking into Sunday Ticket? Oh yeah, me. https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/... Steve Kovach / @stevekovach : “Yet, while the talks about Sunday Ticket are still going on, Apple isn't seen as a serious contender for the rights.” https://www.theinformation.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... Darren Rovell / @darrenrovell : Apple and Amazon want to be in sports. ESPN has a lot locked up for years, but if I'm ESPN long term, this is what keeps me up at night. Apple and Amazon cash blow away Disney cash. https://twitter.com/... Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers : @NBCNews + Talks between Apple and the NFL have been ongoing for months and continued this week at the Allen & Company conference in Sun Valley. H/t @theinformation's @sizpatel, who broke the news: https://www.theinformation.com/ ... John Ourand / @ourand_sbj : Apple is in “early talks” with the NFL for Sunday Ticket, according to this @sizpatel story. https://www.theinformation.com/ ... Will Carroll / @injuryexpert : Sunday Ticket doesn't really require a lot of infrastructure. The games are shot elsewhere. Red zone is easily transferable or outsourced to Nfl. Question is what's in it for Apple? Subscriptions? Plus or elsewhere? https://twitter.com/... Joe Kunkle / @optionshawk : Whoa! Apple $AAPL in Early Talks With NFL on Sunday Ticket Games I would be all in Apple TV in this case https://www.theinformation.com/ ... Sahil Patel / @sizpatel : Scoop: Apple is in early talks with the NFL over its Sunday Ticket package. The league is receiving interest from many traditional and digital players over its next big media rights package. https://www.theinformation.com/ ... Amir Efrati / @amir : “...Apple hired James DeLorenzo to run its sports division for Apple TV+. DeLorenzo came from Amazon, where as head of sports for Amazon Video, he negotiated Amazon's initial deal with the NFL to stream live games.” @sizpatel https://www.theinformation.com/ ... See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already framed its TV service as a storefront for other streaming services, making Sunday Ticket discussions a potential shift from distribution partner to buyer of marquee programming. Later coverage places Apple alongside Amazon and Google in the contest to persuade leagues to move sports rights away from traditional TV and cable.
The talks also foreshadowed Apple’s subsequent live-sports strategy: its MLS arrangement became a test bed for reshaping sports consumption through streaming, even though Apple later exited the Sunday Ticket negotiations.
First-order effects
- Apple and the NFL enter an early rights negotiation that puts DirecTV’s existing Sunday Ticket distribution role under direct pressure.
- Apple gains a possible route to make its TV offering a destination for live programming rather than primarily a gateway to third-party services.
Second-order effects
- Amazon and Google face a more crowded bidding field for premium league rights, reinforcing the competition described in streamers’ push to win live-sports packages.
- The NFL gains another large technology-platform bidder, strengthening its leverage as it weighs a move beyond conventional pay-TV distribution.
Third-order effects
- The episode points to live sports rights becoming a strategic input for consumer platforms seeking recurring viewing and service differentiation, rather than an asset held chiefly by TV distributors.
- As more leagues negotiate directly with major platforms, sports distribution may consolidate around a smaller number of companies able to combine rights spending with broad device and service ecosystems.
The trend: Premium live sports is becoming a battleground where major technology platforms use exclusive rights to build streaming-service loyalty and reduce reliance on traditional TV distributors.