Apple eyes MLS sell-off as even Messi can’t save £2bn deal
Apple TV is considering selling off some of its international rights to Major League Soccer (MLS) just two years into a 10-year deal.
The streaming company is paying $250m (£200m) a year for global MLS rights in a bet that interest in the American domestic league would grow significantly on the back of Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami and the 2026 World Cup.
While sign-ups for the MLS Season Pass and average weekly viewing figures of 1m in the USA have been encouraging, returns from MLS overseas markets have been underwhelming.
Apple pulled out of a proposed $1bn deal for global rights for this summer’s Club World Cup last year, which have subsequently been snapped up by Dazn with the help of imminent Saudi Arabian investment, and the tech giant’s sports team is looking to cut costs elsewhere.
Man Utd wait on details of government support
The government has yet to provide any firm indication to Manchester United of the nature and extent of the funding they will provide to support the club’s plans to rebuild Old Trafford.
A surprise statement issued by the treasury on Saturday evening announced that chancellor Rachel Reeves would “champion” a project she described as “a shining example” of the government’s plans to promote economic growth, but details remain somewhat sketchy.
Independent research commissioned by United forecast that a rebuild or redevelopment of Old Trafford could create 90,000 jobs and generate £7.3bn annually for the UK economy, but given the scale of the project government funding will be required to assist with improvements in local infrastructure.
Following talks involving United, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and treasury officials, the government has provided its support in principle, but club sources have conceded that it is far too premature to ascertain what that will look like in practice.
United are planning to announce by the end of the season whether they will push ahead with their boldest plan to build a new 100,000-seater stadium on a site adjacent to the existing ground, or alternatively pursue an 87,000-capacity redevelopment of Old Trafford itself.
BBC planning Six Nations rights bid
The BBC is planning a strong bid to retain live Six Nations rights in the face of a rival offering from TNT Sports, with existing rights partners ITV also expected to bid.
Despite budget pressures, covering news and sport from around the UK is one of the six key public purposes enshrined in the , and failure to make a competitive offer would lead to a significant political backlash.
The existing contract gives the BBC live rights to Wales and Scotland’s home matches, with ITV having 10 games to its rival’s five, and it will be intriguing to discover how the Six Nations package the rights to try to gain an additional partner or drive competition between them.
The BBC can at least point to a significant advantage in terms of reach, as its Six Nations matches regularly peak at more than 8m viewers, whereas TNT’s record audience for rugby is just under 1m.
Any move by the Six Nations to sell the entire tournament to a subscription broadcaster may also lead to attempts in Westminster to reclassify the Championship on the A-list of crown jewel events which includes the World Cup and Olympics, that must be available on free-to-air TV.
Lewis in firing line over Ashes thrashing
England Women head coach Jon Lewis is viewed as the most likely fall guy in the ECB performance review that will follow their disastrous Ashes campaign next month.
England have lost all six white-ball games comprehensively and are heading for 16-0 whitewash ahead of the one-off Test in Melbourne later this week.
The post-series review will be conducted by the England and Wales Cricket Board’s deputy chief executive and former England captain, Clare Connor, although chief executive Richard Gould is also likely to have some input as he will be in Melbourne this week.
Lewis insisted last week that he has no plans to step down before the end of a contract that expires in November, but the decision may be taken out of his hands with a 50-over World Cup taking place in India in September.
While captain Heather Knight is under pressure after nine years in the role, there are few obvious contenders to replace her from within the side.
England slumped to a shambolic defeat to West Indies in last October’s T20 World Cup group stage in their most recent meaningful game without Knight, who was unable to field due to a calf injury.
West Indies cruised to a six-wicket win with Nat Sciver-Brunt proving an unimpressive stand-in captain as England dropped five catches.