Report: Talks between Apple, NFL for Sunday Ticket have hit snag

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has been negotiating a potential Sunday Ticket deal with Apple for several months now, but the discussions have reportedly hit a snag.

According to CNBC’s Alex Sherman, Apple and the NFL have been unable to finalize a deal because the tech giant has concerns about existing restrictions with the Sunday Ticket package. Apple is pushing for a different agreement than the one the NFL currently has with DirecTV.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said this week that Apple wants more than just standard rights agreements that restrict games in certain markets.

“We weren’t interested in buying sports rights,” Cue said at a Paley Center for Media panel in New York. “There’s all kinds of capabilities that we’re going to be able to do together because we have everything together. And so if I have a great idea, I don’t have to think about, OK, well, my contract or the deal of interest will allow this.”

Sunday Ticket is currently only offered in the United States, which may be one thing Apple wants to change. There are also blackout restrictions for games in certain markets.

While Apple is still viewed as the most likely suitor for Sunday Ticket, a new bidder entered the mix a few months ago. The NFL is not believed to be exclusively negotiating with Apple at this point.