Apple has announced that Apple News+ subscribers now have access to daily sports news from The Athletic, which delivers in-depth coverage of hundreds of professional and college teams across the major sports leagues globally.
Owned by The New York Times, The Athletic's coverage includes the English Premier League, NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, National Women’s Soccer League, NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, NCAA men’s college basketball, NCAA women’s college basketball, LaLiga, UEFA Champions League, and more.
"Like so many lifelong sports fans, I am a devoted reader of The Athletic and their fantastic sports reporting and local coverage," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services. "We're so proud to now bring sports fans The Athletic in Apple News+ — which millions of News+ subscribers are going to love."
Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia can follow The Athletic in the Sports section of Apple News to find complete coverage. In addition, the NYT's Wirecutter product reviews will be available for free to all Apple News users beginning early next year.
The New York Times acquired The Athletic in January 2022 for $550 million. The newspaper then shut down its sports desk in July and said it would roll in some of The Athletic's content into its core publication.
Notably, The New York Times ended its partnership with Apple News in June 2020, claiming that the service did not "align with its strategy of building direct relationships with paying readers."
Apple in October increased the price of an Apple News+ subscription, from $9.99 per month to $12.99 per month. In the U.S., it was the first-ever price increase for Apple News+ since the service launched in November 2019. In a statement shared with MacRumors, Apple said it is "focused on delivering the best experiences possible for our customers by consistently adding high-quality entertainment, content, and innovative features to our services."
