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ESPN will roll out a streaming service that bypasses cable
Today The Walt Disney Company released its quarterly earnings report, but the most interesting news has to do with ESPN. Disney confirmed reports it's making a $1 billion investment in BAMTech, a spinoff from MLB's Advanced Media business that, among other things, works on technology for streaming video services like HBO Now. The big news, however, is that BAMTech is working on ESPN with a "direct to consumer" (read: you won't need cable or satellite to get it) "ESPN-branded multi-sport subscription streaming service."
ESPN streams its first drone racing event at 1PM ET
Just when we were getting used to ESPN and eSports coverage, the worldwide leader in sports is adding another new event to its slate: drone racing. It's not on the broadcast channels yet, but today and tomorrow at 1PM ET on ESPN3 (probably via the WatchESPN app) you can watch the 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships.
Latest Apple TV rumor points to a TV guide for video apps
At the WWDC 2016 event, Apple revealed a number of improvements on the way for the Apple TV, including a new feature called single sign-on. That would let cable TV subscribers log in once, and immediately have all their supported apps authorized without needing to log in (often repeatedly) within each individual app. Now Recode cites industry sources saying that Apple is working on "digital TV guide" for the Apple TV and its other devices that would display content from sources like Netflix and HBO all in one place.
After Math: Fun and games
This was a big week for diversions. Nintendo is sitting pretty thanks to its overnight smash hit, Pokémon Go -- not to mention the excitement surrounding its upcoming NES Classic Edition mini-console. Additionally, MoviePass rolled out its revised film subscription rates. ESPN is finally giving eSports the attention it deserves. And Twitter tripled the size limit for displaying animated gifs to a whopping 15MB. Numbers, because how else will you know who holds the high score?
ESPN will air 18 hours of eSports coverage on July 17th
ESPN is increasing its eSports coverage in a big way. The network will be airing 18 hours of eSports programming on ESPN2 and ESPNU on Sunday, July 17th. This will mark the first time ESPN will air an entire eSports block on its major networks, a far cry from the days when it relegated League of Legends matches to streams on the web.
ESPN bosses mull an online streaming package
A report over at the Information claims that ESPN is planning to take a baby step towards offering its shows direct to consumers. The Disney-owned sports broadcaster is working on a package of live programming that cord-cutters will be able to purchase without a cable subscription. Naturally, the content on offer won't include premium events from the NFL or NBA, instead you'll find "niche" sports up for grabs. Details are thin, but that could run from college sports all the way through to eSports, which the network has recently embraced. It's a toe in the water, for sure, but also shows just how far online video has come along in the last five years.
Twitter kicks off sports streaming with Wimbledon
Twitter paid a reported $10 million for the rights to live stream NFL broadcasts, and now we have an idea as to what that will look like. The social network is livecasting its first sports event, Wimbledon, from the tournament's "Live @ Wimbledon" feed, which features interviews, match replays and other secondary content. It isn't streaming any live match coverage, though, and is using the tennis tournament as a trial run. "This livestream is an extremely early and incomplete test experience, and we'll be making lots of improvements before we launch it in its final form," the company said in a statement to Recode.
ESPN2 will televise the 'Street Fighter V' finals from Evo 2016
Professional gaming continues its slow creep into the mainstream, landing airtime for another tournament on a prominent sports channel. ESPN2 will air the world championship matches for Street Fighter V live from the Mandalay Bay events center on July 17th at 10pm ET, but they'll also broadcast it on WatchESPN for you cord-cutters.
Disney to bolster cord-cutting options with MLB deal
Cable subscribers have been dropping ESPN like a hot rock, often switching to à la carte streaming services like NFL Sunday Ticket and MLB's At Bat. Parent Disney is trying get on the winning side, so it acquired a third of Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) streaming business (called BAM Tech), according to Bloomberg. That company runs MLB's At Bat and MLB.TV online service, and also handles streaming for the PGA Tour, NHL and WWE Network. Its tech is also used by HBO Now, The Blaze and other services. The deal reportedly values MLBAM at $3.5 billion.
Recommended Reading: Why is 'Orange Is the New Black' so good?
'Orange Is the New Black' is Netflix's only great drama Alison Herman, The Ringer The fourth season of the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black starts streaming this weekend, and if you haven't watched your first episode yet, now's the time to catch up. The show is widely regarded as the best on the streaming service, or at least the best drama in the library. Alison Herman from The Ringer discusses that latter point and why Netflix's other dramas just don't stack up.
Madden NFL 16 championships will be broadcast live on ESPN2
While their deal with League of Legends may have been a pipe dream, ESPN is expanding their eSports coverage to something a little closer to the roots of the "Worldwide Leader in Sports." On June 14th from 6–7:30 PM ET, ESPN2 will televise live coverage of EA's Madden NFL 16 Championship series for the first time ever.
ESPN and 'League of Legends' studio aren't making a broadcast deal
League of Legends is one of the most popular esports titles in the world, but it's not heading to ESPN any time soon. Spokespeople for Riot Games and ESPN tell Engadget that the companies are not working on a broadcasting deal, despite a report on PVP Live claiming otherwise. "The story is inaccurate -- no active talks with ESPN at the moment," the Riot spokesperson said. An ESPN spokesperson further confirmed, "The story is false. We do not have a deal with Riot Games to broadcast League of Legends."
WatchESPN brings live and on-demand sports to Android TV
ESPN's streaming app is already available on a number of streaming gadgets and mobile devices, and now you can watch it on Android TV. WatchESPN's live and on-demand content is now available on Sony 4K HDR Ultra HD TVs, Sharp Aquos Android TV, Nexus Player, Nvidia Shield and Razer Forge TV. The company says that the app will makes its way to Philips and RCA devices "at a later date." If you'll recall, WatchESPN was already available on Google's Chromecast streaming dongle.
ESPN and Verizon settle lawsuit over customizable FiOS TV plans
It's been more than a year since ESPN sued Verizon over Custom FiOS TV, a channel bundle that allows subscribers to make à la carte selections. But today, the companies announced they have settled their lawsuit, which was filed in New York's Supreme Court in 2015. Back then, ESPN argued that while it embraced "innovative ways to deliver high-quality content to consumers on multiple platforms," it simply wanted Verizon to abide by its terms of contracts. Verizon, on the other hand, denied any wrongdoing.
ICYMI: Deaf translation gloves, mind-controlled UAVs and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-28536{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-28536, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-28536{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-28536").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Two college students from the University of Washington won an invention prize at a MIT competition for their SignAloud gloves, which translate the words deaf or mute people sign into spoken words. University of Florida held a drone race with mind-control headsets as the controllers. And China's National University of Defense Technology made a robot that can tase people. If you too know about (and marvel at) the all-girl, pop metal band BabyMetal, check out the Super Mario Maker version. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
ESPN will start covering drone racing in August
ESPN is already taking advantage of the growing interest in eSports, and the network is hopping on the drone trend, too. Today, the International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) announced a "multi-year" deal with ESPN for coverage of its competitive UAV events. The network's first broadcast of drone racing and its first-person views will be August's US National Drone Racing Championships from Governor's Island in New York City. Live coverage of the event will stream on the WatchESPN app, so you'll need a cable subscription to follow along on a mobile device or streaming gadget. If you can't tune in then, there will be a one-hour special that recaps the action as well.
T-Mobile adds more services to Binge On and Music Freedom
T-Mobile's Binge On and Music Freedom plans for streaming video and music without gobbling up your data add new services to the data-free initiative on the regular. Today, the Un-carrier is adding even more. Amazon Music and ESPN Radio are the two notable additions to Music Freedom while Binge On video now includes Nickelodeon, Spike, TV Land and Epix. Legere & Co. have been preaching this version of streaming for a while, and today the company says the options for streaming that won't cut into your monthly allotment now tally over 100. And that includes porn.
DraftKings loses its exclusive ESPN ad deal
Things keep getting worse for DraftKings, the embattled daily fantasy sports site. Not only is it currently under investigation (or already banned) by a number of state attorney generals for violating online gambling statutes and losing payment processing partners, Yahoo Finance reported on Tuesday that it's losing a deal to be the exclusive daily fantasy advertiser on ESPN.
Win college tuition if you're good at 'Heroes of the Storm'
If you're good at throwing, catching or hitting objects with sticks, then it's possible to go to college for free on an athletic scholarship. Kids who spent warm summer days indoors working out how to trounce their foes online, on the other hand, get nothing more than a raised eyebrow and a sneer from the admissions tutor. ESPN and Blizzard are hoping to rectify that situation with its Heroes of the Dorm contest, which is coming back for a second year. The tournament matches teams from various colleges, with the members of the winning team earning free tuition for the rest of their degree.
