http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/ Engadget Comments for MobileESPN, R.I.P: 2005 - 2006 http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 12:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/
http://mobile.espn.go.com/]]>Sep 28th 2006 12:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 12:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 12:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/
What went wrong? Let's speculate. Saturated cellular marketplace. Unappealing launch device (Sanyo MVP) and the Samsung ACE debuting way too late to make any sort of impact. Expensive plans and services. Best Buy exclusive.

Marketing snafu: marketed towards teens and yuppy thirtysomethings - teens, who have no control over their cell phones, as their parents pay for everything; yuppies who prefer a business device with entertainment capabilities over an entertainment device.

Personally, I am pleased. Disney most likely spent a ton of money contracting the development of the mobileESPN interface - now that their MVNO is gone, they can just sell it (or a watered-down version of it) as a content download for existing carriers. I think I'd pay $10 a month for a mobileESPN add-on for my pocket pc, with maybe the option of paying for live games on a per-diem basis. There is money to be made here - I just think they went about it the wrong way.]]>Sep 28th 2006 12:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/
I think ESPN is feeling a little skittish right now because they're having a hard time making anything new stick. ESPNInsiders doing... okay.... ESPN the Mags doing... okay. There's no growth in these new segments, they're just throwing stuff out and hoping something sticks. ESPNZone anyone?]]>Sep 28th 2006 5:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 1:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 1:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 7:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 1:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/
Personally I really liked the Mobile ESPN interface itself; I have to admit, I came very close to getting one of these phones just to have it, even though I already have a Treo.

I would definitely pay a monthly fee or something to have a version of the Mobile ESPN interface (which seemed really slick to me) for my Treo. It seemed a lot nicer than ESPN's plain WAP interface, especially for viewing boxscores and live games, etc.]]>Sep 28th 2006 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 3:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/Sep 28th 2006 4:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/28/mobileespn-against-the-ropes/
It actually says on the press release "Before the end of the year, Mobile ESPN will contact all customers with details about future service options to assist in the transition to the new home of Mobile ESPN"

So it aint dead. It's moving Mobile providers. You might want to update the article to reflect that.
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