Aug 02, 2023 | 7:07 am | 1 comment
According to the New York Post Apple is one of several tech companies on Disney’s radar as the media giant searches for a strategic partner to expand ESPN’s distribution. At the same time, however, the report also states that there are significant obstacles standing in the way of immediate cooperation.
The challenges of a partnership
Apple and Disney might seem like the perfect partners to distribute ESPN, but several obstacles make a partnership unlikely. While Apple’s global technological reach would be ideal for expanding ESPN’s reach, issues such as preinstalled app policies and streaming direction present significant hurdles.
Disney’s interest in a partnership stems from the possibility of an ESPN app preinstalled on iPhones. However, Apple’s history does not support such a development. Since the removal of YouTube as a preinstalled app on iOS 6 in 2012, Apple has not promoted any third-party brand through preinstalled apps. This reluctance represents a significant impediment to Disney’s aspirations.
Additionally, ESPN’s current model of only being available through cable and satellite TV packages poses a challenge. ESPN doesn’t have a suitable format to be streamed through the Apple TV app. Despite claiming that Disney plans to make ESPN available on an “a la carte” basis by 2025, that timeline makes it difficult to establish an immediate partnership.
Meanwhile, Apple has focused its efforts on securing global rights to live sports content for streaming via the Apple TV app and its Apple TV+ streaming service. For example, Apple has entered into a 10-year partnership with the MLS to stream all games worldwide.
While things don’t seem to be going well for a potential ESPN deal, Disney and Apple have long been promised great potential for a partnership. The companies have maintained a close relationship over the years. Disney CEO Bob Iger sat on Apple’s board of directors from 2011 to 2019 and was friends with Steve Jobs. Iger even announced the availability of Disney+ on Apple’s Vision Pro headset at WWDC 2023.
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2023-08-02 05:07:28
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