ESPN is getting a brand-wide makeover, starting with its iOS app
Up until now, ESPN has had two separate apps on iOS for news and scores, one designed for iPhone (SportsCenter) and another for iPad (ScoreCenter). Well, starting today, that's about to change. The Worldwide Leader in Sports announced that it is, finally, unifying its apps on Apple's platform, mashing them into a single application that'll be known simply as "ESPN." The newly consolidated app doesn't just bring a rebranding, however -- it's also completely redesigned and developed to take advantage of iOS 8, which you'll need to have on your device in order to download it. As such, you can expect the ESPN app to support the bigger, higher-res screens of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, a feature that's been long overdue.
Aside from that, the home screen now shows more content that you want to see, namely from sports and teams that you follow closely, while the new article viewer does a great job at placing images and videos front and center. On the iPad, ESPN's app takes advantage of the larger display by letting you view the three main tabs -- Favorites, News and Now -- all at once, making sure that you don't miss a beat in what's happening across the sports bubble. One of the best things about the app on the iPad is the icon carousel located toward the bottom-right corner, which gives you quick access to your favorite teams with a simple tap -- even better, it does so by letting you click on the logos for each, and you can swipe across to see more teams you've added to your list.
The app's rebranding is also making its way to Android today, but the aforementioned features will have to wait, unfortunately. ESPN says an overhauled app is coming to Google's mobile OS in "a few months," noting that it will be "miles better" than the current version. Similarly, as it prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary in April, ESPN.com is set to get redesigned too, complete with a similar look to that of the new iOS app and featuring a fully responsive site that'll adjust its content for any screen, desktop or mobile.
"We are trying to bring these experiences together in a package that's personalized," says John Kosner, ESPN's executive vice president of digital and print media. "The ambition here is really global. We want the same look and feel rolling out [to other ESPN properties] over the next 12 to 18 months." ESPN's app for iOS 8 is expected to start rolling out today, so keep an eye out for it.
[Image credits: ESPN]
