Google and Apple TV to bid for Premier League rights

Google and Apple are set to compete with BSkyB and ESPN for the rights to broadcast live English Premier League football games between 2013 and 2016, according to Browser Media.

Details of the broadcasting packages are expected to be released in the second quarter of 2012.

SkyGo currently allows Sky Sports subscribers to watch match coverage via a computer, laptop and smartphone but there is also lots of illegal internet streaming of Premier League matches, which has become a real problem for the Premier League, according to Browser Media.

Apple TV already offers a subscription-based service for Major League Baseball in the US and gaining rights to English football would boost its content offering in the UK market.

However, Browser Media says that “any Google bid for live match coverage would have to come with extensive efforts to eradicate content that infringed on copyright laws”.

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