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After Math: The golden age of streaming
We're winding down a freaky week of bad omens, unconvincing congressional testimony and sterling new streaming services. While most eyes were fixated on Mark Zuckerberg doing his best real boy impression, GTA IV lost most of its Russian tunes, ESPN debuted a new mobile app and vinyl got a high tech upgrade that nobody asked for. Numbers, because how else are you going to stretch your entertainment dollar?
ESPN missed a big eSports opportunity with its new streaming service
ESPN's new, $5-a-month streaming service allows sports fans to watch games, access original programming and view scores, all without a cable subscription. ESPN+ is a tool for the digital age, and another attempt by the company to attract a younger, cord-cutting audience -- which is why it's so surprising to see the service doesn't include eSports. ESPN has a tumultuous relationship with professional gaming. Today, the sports-media giant has a digital vertical dedicated to eSports and it covers the industry in-depth, with player interviews, on-the-ground reporting from major tournaments, power rankings and analysis. ESPN has even aired a handful of eSports tournaments on its cable channels, and this year it signed a deal with Electronic Arts to host Madden NFL tournaments on Disney XD, ESPN2 and other stations.
ESPN+ is the sports-streaming cord-cutters have been waiting for
After months of rumors and speculation about what it would look like or how much it would cost, ESPN's standalone streaming service is finally launching today. It's called ESPN+ and it's priced at $5 a month, which will get you both live and on-demand content that, according to the company, is geared toward underserved sports fans. The first thing you should know about ESPN+ is that it isn't meant to replace the traditional ESPN network but rather is designed to be complementary to it. With the streaming offering, for instance, you won't have access to ESPN's flagship show, SportsCenter. Instead, ESPN+ will have its own original programming, including shows that will focus on news, scores and highlights about specific sports and leagues.
ESPN+ offers a first look at Disney’s big plans for streaming
Disney has been relatively open about its plans to carve out a name for itself in the video-streaming wars, as it readies to compete with the likes of Netflix and Hulu. Although the company isn't launching its flagship service until the end of 2019, we now have an idea of what it might look like. This is where ESPN+, the long-awaited standalone streaming service from Disney-owned ESPN, comes in. The new $5-per-month offering, which launches today featuring both live and on-demand content, is the first service to arrive from the Walt Disney Co.'s direct-to-consumer division.
ESPN's standalone sports streaming service launches April 12th
We already knew Disney was planning to debut its standalone ESPN streaming service this spring and how much it would cost, but now we know exactly when it will arrive. The network announced today that its ESPN+ subscription will debut April 12th. On that date, you can expect to tap into a library of sports content that includes live event coverage, ESPN originals and on-demand options for $5 a month.
ESPN+ will host a documentary series on NBA rookies
ESPN has ordered a documentary series for its upcoming streaming service that will center on members of the NBA's 2017-18 rookie class, Variety reports. The eight-episode series will follow select players from draft night preparations, to training and through the regular season. "It will be really compelling, access-based programming, bringing fans closer to their favorite athletes, telling the story of the journey of adjusting to life in the NBA on the court and off the court," Connor Schell, ESPN's executive vice president of content, told Variety.
ESPN Plus streaming service launches this spring for $4.99
As Disney announced its quarterly earnings results today, CEO Bob Iger told CNBC that the company plans to price its standalone streaming version of ESPN at $4.99 per month. We've already heard that ESPN Plus will include "10,000 live regional, national, and international games and events a year" including MLB, NHL and MLS action, and Iger said it will arrive along with a relaunch of the ESPN app this spring. The idea is to reach out to cord-cutters and cord-nevers, hoping they're into some sports you wouldn't catch on its cable broadcasts (other sports will include various college games, Grand Slam Tennis, Boxing, Golf, Rugby and Cricket), plus included access to its library of 30 for 30 documentaries. It will be available "iOS, Android, tvOS and Chromecast" at launch, with other platforms following. As far as the new ESPN app, we should expect even more personalization with the usual relevant scores and highlights next to streaming versions of ESPN's cable broadcasts as well as its podcasts. When it launches, ESPN Plus will only be the beginning of Disney's streaming push, before its Disney-branded service launches in 2019. During the call, Iger said Disney is developing "a few" Star Wars series for the new app, and that it's close to revealing at least one of the projects (separate from the new series of movies announce earlier from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
'Madden 18' eSports events will air on ESPN and Disney XD
ESPN and Disney are about to get a significant influx of eSports content. Through a new multiyear deal announced today, the two networks will broadcast a number of Madden NFL tournaments as well as an episodic series featuring Madden NFL 18 Ultimate League players. "Through this collaboration with ESPN and Disney XD, we'll provide ongoing coverage for fans worldwide across a variety of ESPN and Disney platforms, but also digitally through our own Madden streaming and social channels," Todd Sitrin, EA's competitive gaming division general manager, said in a statement.
ESPN is adapting its popular 'First Take' show for Facebook
Facebook has been busy adding new shows to its Watch tab for a while now. But let's face it, big name broadcasters aren't exactly flocking to the social network as an avenue for their content. That's what makes today's news pretty significant. ESPN announced a new version of its popular First Take sports talk program that will be tailored to the more interactive confines of Facebook. The key difference? More viewer participation.
Yahoo Sports starts streaming NFL playoff games this weekend
Last month, Verizon signed a new deal with the NFL, exchanging its rights to be the exclusive wireless carrier for NFL games for rights to air games on a wider range of devices. That has led to a few new options for NFL fans when it comes to how they can watch games on their phones and today, Verizon announced that playoff games will be available for viewing on the Yahoo Sports app starting this weekend as will the Super Bowl next month. "Consumers in the US will be able to watch all four playoff games with one click on the Yahoo Sports app," Oath CEO Tim Armstrong told CNBC.
Samsung's smart TVs are getting ESPN and Freeform
If you have a 2017 Samsung Smart TV, you can now install ESPN and Freeform, thanks to the deal the Korean company struck with their overlord Disney. While both apps have been around on phones, tablets and streaming devices for a long time, this makes things much easier if you'd rather stream directly on your TV. The ESPN app gives you access to all things sports, obviously, including the upcoming Alabama-Georgia College Football Playoff National Championship. Freeform, on the other hand, is for binging on movies and TV shows, including Gilmore Girls and Shadowhunters.
ESPN lands mobile streaming rights to ‘Monday Night Football’
Ever since Verizon traded in its status as the exclusive wireless carrier for streaming live NFL games in order to gain streaming rights across multiple platforms, others have sought deals with the NFL to stream games to smartphones. Earlier this week, NBCUniversal signed a deal with the NFL allowing it to stream Sunday Night Football on all mobile devices through TV Everywhere starting in 2018. Today, ESPN announces that it has also reached a deal with the NFL and it will now add smartphones to the devices through which ESPN subscribers can stream Monday Night Football.
Nobody knows if Snapchat shows are actually successful
Snapchat hasn't been coy about its obsession with making original video content. Snap Inc., its parent company, sees TV-like programming as the holy grail and key to its long-term success. The quick, raw, disappearing videos that made Snapchat popular with teens are no longer enough to keep users locked in. Especially as Instagram has started stealing its most popular features, like Stories. Snapchat won't admit it, but Facebook may have inadvertently driven its push into original programming. Conquering that world won't be easy, and right now there are more questions than answers about whether Snapchat shows are working and how viable they are.
ESPN looks to reinvent itself with a SportsCenter for Snapchat
More than three years ago, ESPN opened a 194,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art production facility known as Digital Center 2. That space was built to house five studios, including the home of its flagship show SportsCenter, which has been airing on TV since 1979. The goal from the beginning was to make the show futureproof, by laying the foundation for its studio to support incoming technologies like 4K and 8K content. It was also set up to handle the rise of social media, what with a wall made of 56 screens giving the anchors' the ability to interact with Twitter or Facebook posts from athletes in a real-time 3D environment. The Digital Center 2 brought SportsCenter into the 21st century.
ESPN Plus standalone service will start streaming in spring 2018
After purchasing streaming company BamTech for $1.58 billion, Disney said it would offer content via its own on-demand service, rather than going through Netflix. That's not just going to be Star Wars, Marvel and other movie content, but sports from ESPN, too. During its earnings call yesterday, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that ESPN's streaming service would be called ESPN Plus (ESPN+) and launch in the spring of 2018.
Hulu dives into eSports with four ESL-made shows
A handful of TV networks have started to incorporate more eSports content into their lineups and now eSports have made their way to streaming video on demand as Hulu and ESL have teamed up to create four new eSports series. "eSports appeals to a younger, more digitally savvy audience so Hulu is a perfect platform to build out our original content and expose the world of eSports to new audiences," ESL Senior VP of Global Media Rights and Distribution Nik Adams said in a statement.
ESPN's app streams its studio shows on-demand
ESPN has been adding more features to its mobile app, like personalizing user live video streams. Starting today, fans can stream select shows on the app, including College GameDay, Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn -- and they can watch them whenever they want. No more missing an episode because you couldn't make the livestream.
ESPN will stream big-name boxing matches under a new deal
Many eyes might be focused on a certain hyped-up boxing match this weekend, but ESPN just struck a deal that could be more important in the long run for fisticuffs fans. The sports broadcaster has forged a multi-year agreement that will make it the exclusive home of Top Rank boxing matches in North America. And importantly, that includes airing fights both on TV and online, in virtually every format ESPN (and its Canadian counterparts TSN and RDS) can offer -- you'll see bouts both through the ESPN app as well as the upcoming standalone streaming service.
ESPN's mobile app personalizes your live sports streams
ESPN is keeping up its recent trend of letting you watch sports your way. The TV network has updated its Android and iOS apps with a reworked Watch tab that gives you a more personalized approach to video, including live video -- if there's an in-progress game or show, you'll have quick access to it. Naturally, this personal touch extends to on-demand video like replays (including newly-added ESPN3 replays), clips and collections.
ESPN's Apple TV app streams four live feeds at once
Just in time for football season, ESPN updated its Apple TV app to include a handy new feature for sports fans. Thanks to tvOS MultiCast, you can now watch up to four live streams at once across all of the network's programming options. This means you can put shows and events from ESPN's broadcast channels beside the online-only streams at the same time. It sounds fairly straightforward, but it's sure to come in handy when you're trying to follow multiple things that overlap in your viewing schedule.
