College Football

Apple emerges as potential landing spot for Pac-12 football

Apple TV+ is emerging as a potential landing spot for Pac-12 college football rights, The Post has learned.

With ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and Fox Sports lukewarm on the league, Apple could end up being the platform for the Pac-12, according to sources.

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff could present Apple as a possibility to his schools soon, according to sources. Whether the universities would be interested in a potential all-streaming deal and whether the terms would end up being good enough to prevent schools from departing to other conferences has yet to be determined.

A Pac-12 spokesman and an Apple spokeswoman both declined comment.

Apple TV+ began streaming live baseball games on Friday nights last season. The service is about to start a 10-year, $2.5 billion agreement with MLS in which it will have the global rights to stream all the league’s games with an all-inclusive package that will be $99 for subscribers. An all-in deal similar to MLS’s agreement would be more in line for the Pac-12 with Apple.

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff AP

The Big 12 recently skipped past the Pac-12 by signing extensions with ESPN and Fox. That added to ESPN’s portfolio, which will include all of the SEC, beginning in 2024. Last year, the Big Ten agreed to massive contracts with Fox, CBS and NBC. The ACC is locked into a long-term deal with ESPN.

That has left the final Power 5 conference, the Pac-12, without a TV partner. Its current deal with ESPN and Fox Sports runs through next season.

The Big Ten was helped in negotiations after USC and UCLA jumped to the conference from the Pac-12. The Pac-12 is down to 10 teams and no longer has the Los Angeles TV market to sell.

Apple TV+ could be a broadcasting option for the Pac-12.
Apple TV+ could be a broadcasting option for the Pac-12. AFP via Getty Images

If Apple were to make an agreement with the Pac-12, the streaming service would presumably produce more than just football for the conference. It is possible the production services of the Pac-12 Network could be used.

Apple can be very persnickety in contract negotiations, which was one of the reasons a much talked about agreement with the NFL for its Sunday Ticket package never happened. For the Pac-12, reaching a deal may not be easy, but it is a possible solution.