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ESPN's new Apple TV app behaves like your cable box
As great as the streaming TV era may be, it frequently lacks the immediacy of conventional broadcasts. You can't always flip to your favorite network and start watching right away like you can with cable or satellite. ESPN, however, wants to recreate some of that experience. It just released a revamped Apple TV app whose centerpiece is automatic live streaming. If you've authenticated with a TV provider, the app will start playing a channel as soon as you hop in. This won't help much if it's playing the wrong channel, of course, but it could make the difference between catching a big play live and having to visit the on-demand video. Thankfully, that last part should also be easier.
Apple's 'single sign-on' feature now works with HBO Go
Apple's "single sign-on" feature has only been live since mid-December but it's already attracted some impressive services. In addition to A&E, Bravo, NBC, Syfy and USA, which launched with the feature, WatchESPN added the functionality in January and, on Thursday, HBO announced that its HBOGo app will now support it as well.
ESPN brings Apple's handy single sign-on tool to its iOS apps
When it comes to streaming apps that are tied to a cable subscription, having to sign in repeatedly can become a bit of a chore. ESPN has updated its main app and WatchESPN with Apple's single sign-on feature so you only have to enter your cable log-in once and it gets populated across the sport network's software for any device connected to iCloud. While WatchESPN has had the ability to beam the action to your TV with Chromecast for a while now, that main ESPN app also gains the functionality with this new version.
Comcast finally allows HBO, ESPN streaming via PlayStation 4
For those who maintain a cable subscription, one of the (many) annoying aspects is that sometimes channels have streaming apps you can't use, despite being a paying customer. Over the years, Comcast has decided that it's not going to allow customers to use whatever channel's app on one platform or another, but now the PlayStation 4 is off of that list. According to a tweet, owners with Comcast subscriptions can finally log in and use the WatchESPN and HBO Go apps on their game console.
WatchESPN's live and on-demand streaming arrives on PS4
Rejoice, sports and console gaming fans: ESPN's self-titled streaming app WatchESPN is now available on the PlayStation 4. According to the network, subscribers can now access ESPN's live and on-demand content on every major streaming device, and non-subscribers can use the app to browse short-form clips and highlights. So now you can switch between a heated game of Call of Duty and the drone racing championships without putting down your DualShock 4.
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.
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.
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 Classic on-demand videos head to Roku and Apple TV
Sports fans with ESPN Classic on demand might spend the next few weeks glued to their screens. The company is giving them access to over 600 hours of archived programming. That means hundreds of hours of old basketball, football, X Games and other sports you'd usually watch on ESPN -- even "classic" ones people still talk about decades later, like Muhammad Ali's fights -- via the WatchESPN app. WatchESPN is available for a bunch of platforms, including Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Xbox One. But if you want to watch events you might have only heard from your parents, you'll have to bust out an Apple TV or a Roku.
The ESPN app now streams live sports from WatchESPN
Up until today, if you came across live video content in the ESPN app, you had to be redirected to the WatchESPN application to start watching. But that's about to change. The network has announced that users can now enjoy WatchESPN's streams without having to leave its main ESPN app, with the update rolling out for iOS and Android. "This is just the first step in marrying our two largest apps and two largest mobile audiences," an ESPN spokesperson tells Engadget.WatchESPN is one of ESPN's most popular services, as it allows pay-TV subscribers in the US to enjoy live sporting events on the go. According to ESPN, WatchESPN had an average of 10 million total unique viewers during the months of September and October, marking its highest audience since the FIFA World Cup 2014. As for whether WatchESPN will cease to exist as a standalone mobile app, we're told that won't be the case.
Plex's revamped Roku channel gives you a better look at your videos
To put it mildly, the Plex channel for Roku players is due an overhaul -- an interface full of dull squares doesn't exactly do justice to your extensive media collection. Thankfully, Plex is giving the channel the makeover it needs. The new version brings the Roku client up to snuff with what you get on other platforms, including rich cover art and a greater emphasis on discovering video content like movie trailers and behind-the-scenes footage. As with Plex's other recent upgrades, though, there are a few things missing at the moment. The revamped software will handle your movies, music and TV shows, but channels, photos and playlists are still "coming soon." Also, you may have to be patient. The redesigned front end is available today to Plex Pass subscribers as a preview, but you'll have to wait if you'd rather not cough up cash for early access. Update: Roku has also rolled out a faster YouTube experience with the new UI seen on Xbox One and other platforms for the Roku 3 and Roku Streaming Stick, while Roku TVs (TVs with Roku embedded) finally have access to WatchESPN.
WatchESPN sports streaming arrives on Windows Phone
Did you buy that big-screen Lumia phone with dreams of watching live sports while away from home? Today's your lucky day. WatchESPN has finally reached Windows Phone, giving you a way to view all the big ESPN channels and catch up through on-demand clips. You'll still have to show that you subscribe to a supporting TV service to get access. If you're part of that select group, though, you no longer have to worry about missing out on a big game just because you prefer Microsoft's mobile platform.
DirecTV's new deal lets you watch ABC, Disney and ESPN online
If you subscribe to DirecTV, you're about to get a few more ways to tune in online. As part of a renewed deal with Disney, the satellite TV provider will get Watch ABC, Watch Disney and WatchESPN streaming services in early 2015. You'll also see more viewing features on regular channels, and the two companies will "explore new opportunities" for internet-only offerings. There's no question that DirecTV is a bit late to the party when it comes to embracing Disney's more advanced services, but better late than never, right? [Image credit: Associated Press]
ESPN strikes deal with Fox to carry some Champions League games
Europe's biggest club football competition, the Champions League, will be hitting the US in strong fashion this year. Thanks to a recently announced agreement with Fox, which owns the rights to the tournament through the 2017-2018 season, ESPN is set to also broadcast matches here in the States. There are a couple of caveats, however -- the games acquired from this deal are only going to be available on ESPN Deportes (Spanish-language) and WatchESPN (ESPN3), so don't expect to catch any of these on the main ESPN or ESPN2 channels. That said, the cross-licensing deal between the two networks is still a great thing for US soccer fans, particularly after the 2014 World Cup, as they will have more ways to watch one of the best tournaments in sports. It's worth noting that while the Champions League Final won't be streamed on WatchESPN, it is going to be televised on ESPN Deportes, right alongside Fox.
Apparently, the internet loved the 2014 World Cup final
The numbers speak for themselves: This year's World Cup has been setting records all over the place. Not only did it keep folks in the US tuned into their team with services like WatchESPN, but who could forget the most tweeted-about sports game ever in that 7-1 thumping suffered by host nation Brazil -- Sad Brazilians, anyone? Yesterday's final, meanwhile, which ultimately saw Germany beat out Argentina for football's biggest prize, set great numbers for social media and TV networks alike. For its part, Facebook reports that the 2014 World Cup Final was the biggest sporting event in its history, with comments, likes and posts combining for over 280 million interactions. Twitter, on the other hand, says the match produced a total of 32.1 million tweets and, in the process, broke the record for any event with 618,725 tweets per minute.
1.7 million people were using WatchESPN during the US vs. Germany World Cup match
If Ann Coulter is correct, that following soccer is un-American, unmanly and unworthy of a species with opposable thumbs, then clearly, you're all a bunch of girly men. At some point during the USA vs. Germany match that aired earlier today, 1.7 million visitors using WatchESPN. And that's not even counting folks who watched on television or through other means. As TechCrunch notes, that 1.7-million figure is even more than the 1.1 million concurrent viewers who tuned into the Super Bowl earlier this year (to be fair, of course, more people had to watch this match at work because it aired at 12PM Eastern, not on a Sunday night). Even more impressive is the fact that ESPN managed to rack up all these simultaneous visitors despite having technical difficulties that left some viewers unable to log on during the first half. "We did investigate some limited issues due to unprecedented demand during the first half," an ESPN rep told TechCrunch. See, there ya go: Americans like soccer, after all (especially when Americans are playing). How you like them apples, Ann? Update: An ESPN rep has issued a correction, saying 1.7 million people were using WatchESPN at once, not watching the USA vs. Germany match specifically -- we guess a few of you may have taken the opportunity to pull up Portugal vs. Ghana on a second screen. Image credit: Getty
Major League Soccer to stream out-of-market games on ESPN3
In an effort to increase popularity of the league in the US, MLS announced a new broadcasting partnership with ESPN, FOX and Univision. As part of the deal with these TV networks, which will run through 2022, MLS is bringing (some) out-market games to ESPN3. That, of course, includes the WatchESPN applications and the ESPN3 website. For Major League Soccer, this is a huge step, as it previously kept these games tied to one of its subscription services, including MLS Direct Kick and MLS Live. According to ESPN, the agreement is for "more than 200 MLS matches" per season, over the next eight years -- for reference, 323 matches were played during the 2013 season, not taking into account the playoffs.
Apples and Oranges: Amazon moves into the Apple TV space
Those of us who have been waiting for an Amazon Prime channel to finally show up on their Apple TV now have an explanation as to why it never arrived. Today Amazon introduced FireTV (US $99), an Amazon set-top box that seems perfectly situated to compete with Apple TV. Amazon cited a 350% growth in their video streaming service as their basis for entering this market. With a quad-core processor, a dedicated GPU, and 2GB of onboard RAM, the new unit's specifications compare extremely favorably against both Apple's latest unit as well as Roku. Standout features include enhanced "MIMO dual-band WiFi", a slick user interface, built-in Karaoke, and voice search. The box is about the same form factor as an Apple TV, with a small but much more solid-looking remote. The unit will offer many of the same channels, or "apps" in the Amazon parlance. These include Netflix, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, SHO Anytime, Bloomberg, and Vevo. Streaming music services including Pandora and iHeart Radio should follow soon after launch. A feature called "X-Ray" will provide additional details about what you're watching as you watch it. This extra information is delivered to your Kindle Fire HDX tablet for tight product-line integration. There's also some sort of AirPlay equivalent on offer for watching slideshows of your tablet- and cloud-based photo collections. Apple has to be taking notice of Amazon's latest move. From the Kindle to the TV, Amazon is striding boldly into an arena of consumer content that Apple first pioneered with iTunes and Apple TV. If anyone can transform content delivery from a hobby to a business, Amazon can. FireTV's easier interaction style and spoken commands (yes, I struggle with entering text on Apple TV -- especially when I have to re-enter my WiFi network password) should set a new bar for streaming set top. Apparently there's even a mic built into the remote. I found the interface screenshots to be cleaner than the somewhat confusing menu system I currently see on my Apple TV unit.They're full of bright clear images that feel like a well thought out, navigable system -- and probably a bit of a WiFi hog. So how will Apple react? Certainly that $99 price point for Apple TV has got to give or the Apple unit needs a major refresh. If Apple intends to stay in this "hobby", I would expect an interface overhaul and perhaps some Siri support to stay competitive. I also would think they'd need to open a third party SDK, the way that Amazon will with its open HTML and Android ecosystem. At launch, you'll be able to download and play Minecraft, The Walking Dead, Monsters University, the Amazon exclusive Sev Zero -- all on your TV.
WatchESPN finally comes to Windows 8
Windows 8 has plenty of apps to choose from, but there's one in particular that avid sports fans had long been waiting for: WatchESPN. The great news is The Worldwide Leader in Sports has finally brought the application to Microsoft's operating system. Now users will be able to stream a ton of on-demand and live content from ESPN's network lineup, right on their Windows 8 PC. Access to real-time video feeds does require a cable subscription, however, so be sure to check the description here to see if your provider supports WatchESPN.
Roku will start streaming ESPN and Disney Channel content later this month
Roku's streaming boxes will offer up live TV shows, events and video from ESPN and Disney later this month, providing you've got the appropriate subscriptions from the right "linear network". ESPN viewers will get ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes and ESPNEWS through the WatchESPN channel. Both Goal Line and Buzzer Beater will also be coming to Roku... when it's the right season for 'em. At the same time, anyone who has a video subscription from "an affiliated provider' will be able to pick up Watch Disney, Watch Disney Junior and Watch Disney XD programming. In short, it's pretty similar to what Google Fiber subscribers picked up not too long ago.