Apple is building an advertising network for live television to accompany Major League Soccer (MLS) matches streaming on its platform, part of the company’s aggressive push into the ad business.
Catch up: Apple signed a 10-year deal (estimated to be worth US$2.5 billion) to stream MLS games on the Apple TV app beginning next year.
- Apple first dipped its toes into live sports this year with Friday night MLB games on Apple TV Plus.
Why it matters: It’s part of Apple’s effort to grow its $4 billion ad business and evidence that live sports are still one of the most valuable advertising products around.
- Live sports are becoming a must-have for every major streamer: Amazon, HBO Max parent WarnerMedia, and Disney all own broadcast rights for live sports.
- Netflix is reportedly working on breaking into live sports by bringing Formula 1 to its platform.
What’s next: This might not be the end of Apple’s ambitions for sports broadcasting—in addition to streaming Friday night MLB games, they are also rumoured to be vying for rights to show NFL Sunday Ticket games.