Advanced Television

Apple targets Premier League rights?

January 4, 2012

Apple is showing interest in joining the bidding for the next set of live UK Premier League TV rights when the tender goes out before the end of the season, according to the Daily Mail.

The Premier League is seen as the type of premium content that will help establish Apple TV in the UK and boost iPad sales, while the iTunes subscription service infrastructure is already in place.

Apple is rumoured to be planning to release 32 and 37-inch TV sets in the US next year, according to supplier sources in Asia.

The company could certainly afford to bid for the Premier League rights. The last round of UK TV rights, for 2010 to 2013, sold for £1.7 billion. Apple has almost $10 billion in cash and around another $70 billion in marketable securities.

The three certain bidders will be Sky, who paid £1.6 billion for its current packages, ESPN, who says it is determined to buy more Premier League content, and Middle East network Al Jazeera.

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