Apple TV holds talks to bid for US rights to the Open Championship
Apple TV has held preliminary discussions with the R&A about bidding for US broadcast rights to golf’s Open Championship, the company’s latest push into live sport, a move reported on 11 August 2026. The formal tender process for the next US media cycle is expected to begin at the start of next year, with the R&A anticipating interest from other streaming platforms.
NBC has been the United States broadcaster of the Open since 2017 after outbidding ESPN to secure a 12-year contract, and its current US deal expires in 2028. Those rights are shared with media company Versant, which operates the Golf Channel. The R&A is preparing to engage with its incumbent partners while monitoring wider interest in the rights from streamers including Netflix and Amazon.
Apple has been among a group of streaming services experimenting with live sports rights in recent years and has expanded its sports portfolio in the US. The company agreed a 10-year, $2.5bn deal for Major League Soccer that was ended three years early amid disappointing viewing figures. Last year Apple secured a five-year, $750m agreement for exclusive Formula One rights in the United States.
A source with knowledge of Apple’s plans told the Guardian that the company remains committed to investing in sports rights, and will continue to search for the right properties.
“We have an excellent partnership with NBC and Versant which has delivered significant benefits for The Open, the AIG Women’s Open and our other championships and international matches,” a spokesman for the R&A said in response to the Guardian. “As we look ahead to the next US media cycle for the R&A’s rights, we expect to enter discussions with our incumbent partners NBC and Versant in due course. We will also continue to monitor the evolving broadcast landscape and the wider interest in our rights.”
The R&A’s outlined timetable and the presence of multiple potential bidders mean the Open’s US broadcast rights will be contested when the formal tender opens at the start of next year, with incumbents NBC and Versant set to be part of those discussions.