Amazon and Apple are beginning to make a name for themselves in live sports, and another tech giant doesn’t want to be left behind.

Google has reportedly offered a bid from YouTube for rights to NFL Sunday Ticket beginning in 2023, a package that is set to fetch more than the $1.65 billion Google paid for the platform in 2006. 

The New York Times reports that the league is looking for $2.5 billion annually, a generous hike from the $1.5 billion DirecTV pays each year under the league’s current deal.

• DirecTV, which charges $294 annually, will not bid on Sunday Ticket, but would reportedly be interested in a deal with the winning buyer to retain customers.
• Fewer than 2 million subscribers sign up for DirecTV’s package each year. The company has been losing as much as $500 million annually from the package alone.

Google has some tough competition. Apple, which recently secured exclusive rights to MLS for more than $2.5 billion, and Amazon, which already has rights worth $1 billion per season to “Thursday Night Football,” are also reportedly bidding for the Sunday Ticket.

NFL’s Negotiations

Apple is reportedly the current front-runner — at least for now. Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer, says the league still has “a ways to go in the process,” with the deal expected to be finalized in the coming months.

On Monday, the league launched its own streaming service — NFL+ — for $4.99 per month.

The Boston Red Sox are sliding in the standings, but their brand is as valuable as ever.

The team reportedly agreed to MLB’s largest jersey patch deal to date with Massachusetts-based bank MassMutual.

• The pact is reportedly for 10 years at a base rate of $17 million per year. The deal could reach $20 million annually based on performance metrics. 
• The deal nearly doubles the annual rate of the league’s only other patch deal, a four-year, $28-million agreement between Motorola and the San Diego Padres.
• MassMutual also has a sponsorship deal with the NHL.

MLB opened the door to jersey patch sponsorships in the collective bargaining agreement agreed to in March, following a 99-day lockout.

New York, New York

The Red Sox deal sets a new bar for jersey patch deals, with several high-profile teams still negotiating deals.

The New York Mets are seeking a $25 million deal, according to a source that spoke with Sports Business Journal. The New York Yankees, the league’s most valuable team at $6 billion, per Forbes, has hired consulting company Legends to negotiate a deal.

Last year, MLB struck a deal with crypto exchange FTX that included a jersey patch on umpire uniforms.

The XFL is hoping the third time really is the charm as it unveiled new homes for its teams.

The revamped league announced the cities and corresponding coaches for teams in those locations for its second relaunch.

Those cities and corresponding coaches are Arlington, Texas (Bob Stoops), Houston (Wade Phillips), Orlando (Terrell Buckley), Las Vegas (Rod Woodson), San Antonio (Hines Ward), Seattle (Jim Haslett), St. Louis (Anthony Becht), and Washington, D.C. (Reggie Barlow).

The teams’ names have yet to be announced. The season kicks off on Feb. 18, 2023.

Of the eight locations, five — Arlington, Houston, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. — played home to XFL franchises in the league’s original 2020 reboot.

The other three — Orlando, Las Vegas, and San Antonio — will replace teams that played in Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, and Tampa Bay in 2020.

Notably, the newest iteration of the league features three teams based in Texas — and none based in New York, New Jersey, or California.

• Arlington will serve as the league’s football operations hub.
• Choctaw Stadium — Arlington’s home field — will also be Houston’s practice facility.
• The remaining franchises will practice on fields in the metroplex before traveling to markets for games.

The XFL will also provide a centralized performance center and host preseason training camps in Arlington.

Multiyear Deal with the Mouse

In May, the XFL struck a multiyear deal with Disney to show all 43 games on the media giant’s family of channels — including ABC, ESPN networks, and FX.

FX doesn’t regularly show live sports programming, but most recently aired UFC 242 prelims on Disney’s behalf in 2019.