The rights under consideration would allow Apple to show Premier League games in the UK, as well as lower league matches run by the English Football League, the report said.

Apple and the Premier League did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comments.

Sports remains one of the biggest attractions for live viewing as U.S. audiences increasingly switch from pay TV subscriptions to streaming apps.

Last year, major League Soccer and Apple TV had announced a partnership that will see every game streamed on the app for the next decade.

Amazon.com Inc., too, is working on a standalone app for watching sports content, according to a report from The Information in December.