Apple Launches Sports Scoreboard and Streaming App
On Wednesday, Apple fired the latest shot in the war over sports broadcasting’s move from traditional TV to streaming.
Simply called Apple Sports, Apple’s new app for IOS is a scoreboard that can be configured by each user to show only the games for their favorite teams, or the scoreboard for an entire league.
“I’ve been working on this since we opened the App Store, because I’ve been looking for something like this,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of services. “We created Apple Sports to give fans what they want – an app that delivers incredibly fast access to scores and stats.”
It also gives fans access to sports betting information. When you open an individual game screen, directly below the scoreboard are the latest betting odds. You will also be able to connect to the live stream for that game directly from the scoreboard.
Apple Sports is currently focused on in-season sports, so at the moment it offers scores and stats for the NBA, NHL, men’s and women’s college basketball, MLS, and international soccer leagues Bundesliga, LaLiga, Liga MX, Ligue 1, Premier League, and Serie A. When other leagues begin play, they will be added to the app.
It is not a coincidence that Apple Sports launched the same day the MLS begins its 2024 season with the opening match between Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake. Lionel Messi and company can be seen on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass.
BetUS.com has Miami as the heavy favorite to win on the road, paying -191. Real Salt Lake is paying +469, and a draw for the match has odds of +365.
Soccer online sportsbooks also have Inter Miami as the favorite to win the MLS Cup this year. Miami is +300, Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is +750, and the Columbus Crew is +800.
Streaming Competition
The release of Apple Sports — and the spotlight it shines on Apple TV’s new season of MLS broadcasts — is a critical response to ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery joining to launch a sports streaming service. That new service would combine the complete portfolio of their sports broadcasting rights, which includes the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, college sports, and the FIFA World Cup.
Fubo TV filed an antitrust lawsuit against the group this week, alleging that the media companies have stolen “Fubo’s playbook” after trying for years to block Fubo’s growth.
Regardless of where that lawsuit goes, there is no question where sports broadcasting is going. Apple is fully on board with bringing more sports to its streaming service. Amazon’s Prime Video has the NFL, MLB, the WNBA, and they will begin broadcasting the National Women’s Soccer League this year and the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025.
The NFL, by far the most popular sport in America, has trusted YouTubeTV with its NFL Sunday Ticket, and Peacock just had a successful stream of an NFL playoff game a month ago.
Cue acknowledged that “[Apple] might not have done this [app] if we weren’t already doing everything else [in sports].”
But they are doing those things, and so is everyone else. And it is changing the way all of us consume sports, sports news, and connect to sports betting.
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