Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, has criticised the current sports viewing model as overly fragmented.
“We’ve gone backwards,” Cue said during a panel at Motorsport Network’s Autosport Business Exchange in New York.
“You used to buy one subscription, your cable subscription, and you got pretty much everything they had. Now, there’s so many different subscriptions, so I think that needs to be fixed.”
Apple is reportedly finalising a $140 million per year deal for U.S. Formula 1 media rights, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC.
This acquisition will add to Apple’s growing sports portfolio, which already includes Major League Soccer and MLB’s “Friday Night Baseball.”
Apple TV costs $12.99 per month.
Cue joked that sports fans now need “1,200 subscriptions” to access all content, highlighting the fragmented landscape.
The solution, he said, lies in more bundling and partnerships between media providers.
“If I’m a league, and I have two partners, for example, it should be very easy for me to go between them and do all kinds of things… but I can’t,” Cue said.
F1 races currently average around 1.4 million viewers on Disney-owned ESPN.
“The truth is, it’s not huge yet. When you compare it from a sports point of view, that’s pretty tiny. So there’s a huge potential for the sport,” Cue noted.
Apple’s sports strategy differs from other companies.
Cue said Apple only bids on sports rights if it can acquire the full portfolio, ensuring exclusive coverage.
The upcoming F1 deal will give Apple exclusive U.S. rights, similar to its MLS Season Pass offering, which covers all games.
Apple’s approach has kept it away from leagues like the NFL and NBA, despite Cue’s personal interest as a Golden State Warriors fan.
Cue emphasised the need to modernise sports viewing, particularly for younger audiences with more entertainment options than ever.
“If we want people to watch games, and we want all sports to grow, I think some of these things need to be fixed,” he said.
Apple is prepared for a long-term approach to sports, willing to wait for leagues to adapt their rights strategies to fit Apple’s vision.
