DFL is apparently negotiating with Apple over the sale of Bundesliga rights

The dream of German professional football of a US giant like Amazon, Google or Disney entering the poker game for media rights could apparently soon become reality. The technology giant Apple is according to information from World SoccerTalk and AppleInsider in negotiations with the German Football League (DFL).

Accordingly, the talks are initially about the rights for the USA and Canada, but Apple is generally interested in global licenses with its Apple TV+ streaming service. In North America, ESPN and DAZN hold the rights until the end of the 2025/26 season.

The German-speaking Bundesliga rights will be of interest sooner. The DFL is currently preparing the tender for the coming license period, and the aim is to conclude this before the summer of next year. Sky, DAZN, ARD, ZDF and Sat.1 will hold the rights until the end of the 2024/25 season, which brings in around 1.1 billion euros per season for professional football.

For a long time, those responsible for the club have been hoping for increased revenues through the entry of a “global player”. The money from the sale of media rights is by far the largest source of income for the clubs. Most recently, however, it seemed that the DFL even had to fear a drop in revenue.

Apple shouldn’t fail because of the money. The hardware and software developer, who is also said to be interested in rights to the English Premier League and the Dutch Eredivisie, recently reported quarterly profits of almost 22 billion euros.