Overview
- Apple has held preliminary discussions with the R&A about bidding for U.S. broadcast or streaming rights to The Open, a development reported Tuesday by multiple outlets.
- The R&A said it values its current partnership with NBC and Versant and will enter talks with incumbents while it monitors wider interest in the rights.
- NBC’s existing U.S. deal for The Open runs through 2028 but the agreement can be renegotiated before then, meaning the broadcaster could keep the rights if a pre-2028 deal is reached.
- Other major streamers including Netflix and Amazon are named as likely bidders, and it is not yet clear whether any new rights holder would put coverage behind a paywall or include it with an existing service.
- Apple’s recent U.S. sports moves — including Formula 1, MLB packages and MLS matches — show why winning The Open would matter to its subscriber strategy and could accelerate bidding pressure and price expectations across sports rights markets.