Will Apple make a play at streaming professional basketball games? Don’t rule them out yet, says the latest report on the ongoing NBA streaming rights negotiations.

It’s no secret that Apple has a thing for sports streaming rights. Apple is the sole owner of a decade of Major League Soccer streaming rights. It also has two seasons of experience streaming MLB games with Friday Night Baseball. And while it passed on NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube’s delight, it hasn’t ruled out an NBA streaming package.

Today the Wall Street Journal published a report that details the state of play between the National Basketball Association and its distribution partners.

Unsurprisingly, Apple’s name is still in the mix, although it doesn’t sound like there has been any significant development. That’s in part because ESPN and TNT have through April 2024 to decide on their own packages.

ESPN and TNT, which carry roughly 165 nationally televised games combined, are exploring signing up for smaller packages, said people familiar with the situation. […] Those companies already are in renewal talks with the NBA, with an exclusive negotiation period set to expire in April.
If ESPN and TNT buy fewer games, that would allow the league to create a package for a streaming video player. Amazon and Apple already have expressed interest—and are looking for much more than a small slice of NBA games.

The Journal reiterates previous reports that describe the potential for local team streaming packages that could replace what Bally Sports has offered in recent years.

Amazon and others have indicated they would find it even more appealing if the NBA could package national TV rights with local-market rights—so they can show people in Indiana the games of the hometown Pacers, for example, and the same in other cities around the country, according to people familiar with the discussions. 
The league is looking at doing just that, some of the people said, and the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports —parent of the Bally Sports branded regional channels that once operated under the Fox Sports Net brand—is expected to accelerate those efforts.

As an NBA fan, I’m much more interested in subscribing to my local team’s games versus a Friday Night Baseball style deal with whichever games are available. Whether it’s Amazon, Apple, or some other player, it won’t be hard to do a better job than Bally Sports has managed either.

The next NBA season kicks off on Tuesday, October 24. Could it be the last season without Apple as a player?