Source: news.google.com
Apple was in talks with the NFL to acquire the rights to Sunday Ticket, but the deal fell through because the company wanted potential AR/VR rights.
Apple was in talks with the National Football League (NFL) to acquire the broadcast rights to Sunday Ticket, but its intentions went far beyond Apple TV+: Apple wanted augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) rights for your planned AR/VR headset. Streaming services are tackling the world of sports: Apple TV+ aired a few Major League Baseball games last season and Amazon Prime Video secured an 11-year contract to stream.”Thursday night football“- and Sunday Ticket is the jewel in the crown. Sunday Ticket airs every regional NFL game on Sunday afternoons, and YouTube TV is paying an estimated $2 billion per year to feature it.
According to the athletic, Apple saw the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket as more than just a streaming opportunity. It is well known that the company has an AR/VR headset in development, but the launch of the headset has faced frequent delays. It would be the first time Apple has entered a new product category since the Apple Watch launched in 2015, and it could have a tremendous impact on its long-term plans. Based on Apple’s reported insistence on owning the rights to a potential AR/VR streaming market for NFL games, the headset could be the future centerpiece of Apple’s ecosystem.
Why Apple Wanted NFL Games in Its AR/VR Headsets
Apple made it to the late stages of NFL Sunday Ticket talks, but may have lost streaming rights due to its desire to control AR/VR opportunities. “Apple and the NFL also couldn’t agree on whether the company would get the right to distribute Sunday Ticket on platforms that don’t yet exist.wrote Daniel Kaplan, a sports business reporter who specializes in the NFL vertical.Apple wanted what are known as known and unknown rights, people familiar with the NFL and Apple said. In other words, there is no known VR marketplace for Sunday Ticket, but it could one day.“
Virtual reality could see immense success in replicating or streaming live events, such as concerts or games. With 360-degree cameras and high-bandwidth streaming, users may be able to experience a concert or NFL game from the sidelines in virtual or augmented reality. If Apple’s VR/AR headset had exclusive rights to broadcast NFL games in this way, it would instantly become a top choice in the VR market.
Apple’s move for NFL Sunday Ticket could hint at the company’s broader strategy for AR/VR. It bolstered its ecosystem of subscription services, from Apple Music to Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+ and Apple Arcade, all of which could come together to deliver unique augmented and virtual reality experiences. If that’s the case, that would explain of Apple fast and solid entry into all aspects of the subscription services industry over the past decade.
Source: Atlético
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