What looked like a done deal has taken so long to close that Google and others have joined the fray.
From Tripp Mickle, Benjamin Mullin and Kevin Draper's "Why the N.F.L.’s Big Streaming Deal Is Going Into Overtime" in Thursday's New York Times:
The Sunday Ticket negotiations have been closely watched by analysts and executives. Live sports, particularly N.F.L. games, are one of the last remaining staples of traditional television. Who the winning bidder is, how much it pays and how the deal is structured will have seismic implications for the sports, media and technology industries.
Bidding for Sunday Ticket’s valuable package of games could set a precedent for how much tech firms like Apple and Google are willing to pay to take viewers from traditional TV companies, which still rely on cable subscription fees and advertising to stay afloat...
The competitive landscape for Sunday Ticket has shifted as the talks have dragged on, the people familiar with the talks said. Sports and media executives have long considered Apple to be the front-runner, with some involved in the bidding process saying they thought the tech giant had reached an agreement...
One media executive who has negotiated with both Apple and the N.F.L. cited another reason for the monthslong impasse: Both sides are used to getting their way in negotiations.
My take: How many times have we heard that Apple's negotiating style has got in the way of negotiations?
Is that a bad thing? Apple is renowned for acquiring firms important to its future long before others see their value, and getting them at a good price. It all comes down to saying “no”, when others would have moved forward. Where are those forward movers today?
Eddy Cue is crucial to Apple’s acquisition strategy. I think criticism of him comes down to people disappointed in Apple not concluding their favorite acquisition idea. Obviously Apple’s senior management is happy with his performance, and looking at Apple’s growth trajectory, I think that speaks volumes about his effectiveness.
“…Apple was late to the party.”
Haven’t you heard? Apple TV+ is a rousing success. Apple enters when it is ready to enter. How many “late entrances” that are ultimately successful does it take to prove the wisdom of Apple’s measured approach?
2016 “Apple VP Eddy Cue’s ‘Hard-Nosed’ Negotiations Stalled TV Ambitions: WSJ”Apple’s rumoured streaming TV service didn’t materialise because Eddy Cue made demands that would have upended decades of cable industry and Hollywood practices, people familiar with the discussions informed the Wall Street Journal.
In particular, Apple wanted to freeze for several years the monthly rate per viewer it would pay to license Disney channels. TV channels usually get annual rate increases and rely on them to fuel profit growth.
That prompted Disney — which was keen to strike a deal, since Robert Iger is an Apple director — to walk away from the negotiations table, just like 21st Century Fox and CBS, Because of this, Apple couldn’t unveil the rumoured streaming TV service last fall when it announced the revamped Apple TV 4.”
“Now Apple is approaching TV with original programming — Planet of the Apps”
Remember that gem?
2019 “Report details Eddy Cue’s failed negotiations with NYT and Washington Post for Apple News+”
“While Apple was able to reach a deal with The Wall Street Journal, it didn’t have the same success with the NYT or Washington Post. According to today’s report, however, it wasn’t because of a lack of trying.”
“We’ll make you the most-read newspaper in the world,” Cue reportedly said in negotiations.” Oprah temporarily bought that line before ending her deal
“
2016 “Apple’s arrogance is hurting its big TV plans”
“It sounds like the deals fell through because Apple online-services boss and content dealmaker Eddy Cue was viewed as arrogant during negotiations from 2011 to 2015”
“Cue apparently showed up late to negotiations with Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, wearing jeans, no socks, and a Hawaiian shirt. ”
“But Cue and Cook are apparently unbowed. Cue reportedly told media executives that “time is on my side” and executives sum up his negotiating style as, “we’re Apple.”
2012. “Apple throws weight around in TV negotiations”
“While Apple harbors big TV ambitions, it’s having a tough time getting media companies to play along.”
“For months, Apple’s point man, Eddie Cue, has been leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant’s efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service, including pricing, sources said.
Apple’s negotiating stance can be summed up
as “we decide the price, we decide what content”
“They want everything for nothing,” said another media executive, echoing similar tense negotiations Apple has had in the past with magazine publishers and music companies.”
“Apple’s earlier attempt to create a bundled video offering failed to gain traction when it first broached the idea in 2009. One problem was that Apple wanted to share in the ad revenue rather than pay a distribution fee like Netflix and other streaming video providers.”
When it comes to hubris Eddie Cue and Elon Musk have a lot in common.
Great research! Doesn’t change the fact that Apple TV+ is a rousing success. And with every passing day, it snowballs.
It’s irritating that I can’t find Netflix series stuff I play under the Apple+ icon on my Apple TV, and need to independently go to the few gems it holds for every freaking episode (like the latest season of Great British Bakeoff). But the “one stop shopping” that I’m getting from the Apple+ icon is now showing me so many great choices that I spend far less time searching Netflix than I used to. First I go to Apple+, then Disney, then HBO, then Paramount, then Hulu, then Acorn, then Amazon, and THEN Netflix.
They need to suck it up and get with the program. Same with the NY Times and the other Apple holdouts. Shooting yourself in the foot for spite is a bad idea.
As for a rousing success. Fine. Competition is a good thing. Too bad Apple couldn’t get with the program earlier. Interesting you’re a fan of Acorn as am I.
I suspect we have far more in common than we have differences…
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for the laugh, Michael! Very nicely done.
And then you get something like this rumour from the UK’s Daily Star :
“Apple interested in buying Man Utd and making Red Devils richest club in world”
‘ EXCLUSIVE Manchester United could have significantly more funds at their disposal than both Manchester City and Newcastle should technology giant Apple complete a blockbuster takeover ‘
ByJeremy Cross, Daily Star Chief Sports Writer
10:00, 24 NOV 2022 | UPDATED14:05, 24 NOV 2022
I cannot take credit for this comment as I thought it was genius and I’m still laughing at the content posted by this individual. He said: “If Apple does purchase Manchester United, their very first move should be to bring in Ted Lasso as the coach!”
My negotiations with farmers that operate various markets in the warm months tell a vastly different story. We never do stop trying to come to better terms, over all these years. It must be said my bees are much more difficult to negotiate with when it comes to taking their honey. It’s stressful but that’s the livestock business.