Video distribution platform Ooyala wants to make videos available wherever users may be. That means enabling its customers to distribute their content onto all sorts of mobile phones and tablets and connected TVs and crap like that. But it also means distributing video directly into platforms like Twitter. → Read More
As second, third and fourth screens become increasingly popular among sports fans, Twitter has been among those platforms to see a significant increase in sports-related chatter. Social media and Twitter in particular have become popular destinations for fans looking to share their thoughts and engage in conversation during the action.
For the holidays this year, Twitter and ESPN have teamed up… → Read More
Sports is in the process of becoming the next big market to be transformed by the digital revolution, as fans are increasingly turning to mobile devices and second, third and fourth screens to consume sports content. In August, Turner bought sports blogging and content platform Bleacher Report for an estimated $200. More recently, Yahoo and NBC forged a digital sports partnership in the hopes of… → Read More
Today, ESPN announced that it is bringing live programming from its major properties — ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Goal Line — to the Xbox with the official launch of WatchESPN. WatchESPN has been an important part of the sports media behemoth’s cross-platform aspirations, representing a single resource where fans can go to get live ESPN programming on their computers and mobile devices. → Read More
Oh, it’s on. Over the last year or so, ESPN has been experimenting with better ways to present and distribute its content on the Web and on mobile. Essentially, they realized (or at least I hope they did) that their user experience on their digital properties wasn’t great and that others were sneaking up on and passing them — their dominance in TV notwithstanding. Yesterday, they launched a new… → Read More
Google’s report today shows just how integral the multiscreen experience has become in the consumption of digital content. For content of the athletic variety, it seems even more substantial. I struggle to watch baseball games without obsessively checking stats, figures on my tablet or tweeting from my phone. Many of us try to support startups or smaller app developers when it comes to multiscreen… → Read More
Geeks and sports together? It’s a beautiful thing. Well, at least that’s what ESPN is hoping with the announcement of its brand, spanking new Developer Center, which marks the first time that it will open its doors to third-party developers and provide access to its enormous array of editorial content, stats, and other data.
As Y Combinator Founder Paul Graham tweeted recently, APIs are… → Read More
Today, Mountain View-based Ooyala, the fast-growing online video services provider, is announcing that it has landed a big content partner: The so-called “worldwide leader in sports”, ESPN. Those avid sports fans among us may have noticed some changes in the look and speed of videos on ESPN.com. Over the last few weeks, Ooyala has begun integrating its video technology into ESPN’s website, and is… → Read More
In many ways, tablet-focused readers like Pulse, Flipboard, and now Editions, are the next phase of RSS readers. But they’re RSS readers that the masses will actually use because they’re actually user-friendly and oriented around experience and visuals. But because they’re so tailored for user experience, they often need partnerships beyond a simple RSS feed to bring in the necessary information… → Read More
Time Warner Cable received rare praise these past few weeks with the launch of its iPad app. Not familiar with it? It lets Time Warner Cable subscribers view 32 different TV networks on their iPad provided they’re connected to their home (read: Time Warner-provided) Wi-Fi network. (You can’t watch these channels while at the park and connected to 3G, in other words.) As you might expect, several… → Read More
ESPN 3D will show this year’s NBA Finals in, yes, 3D. This is the first time the NBA Finals will be in 3D. → Read More
ESPN has just released a study that sheds some light on people’s cord cutting habits—or lack thereof. Using Nielsen data, ESPN has determined that a paltry 0.11 percent of U.S. households have dropped cable and/or satellite TV over the past three months. That rounds down to essentially nobody in my estimation. Even more interesting is exactly who these cord-cutters are, and they’re not who… → Read More
Microsoft certainly used a lot of words at some Credit Suisse technology conference yesterday, but only a few of them are worth relaying here. The main thing that its Interactive Entertainment Division CEO, Dennis Durkin, said that a whopping 50 percent of Xbox Live users actually pay the $60 per year for Xbox Live. There’s 25 million Xbox Live subscribers, so you’re looking at something like 12.5… → Read More
Is 3D already in trouble? Quite possibly, and there’s a few data points to back up that claim. As you know, Christopher Nolan has announced a few things pertaining to the next Batman movie, namely its name (the Dark Knight Rises), that The Riddler won’t be in it (much to fans’ chagrin), and that it won’t be filmed in 3D. I’m pretty sure the previous Batman movie, the… → Read More
Without Sony‘s support ESPN “probably would not have launched” ESPN 3D. So said Bryan Burns, Vice-President of ESPN, at IFA earlier today. Burns, talking before a reasonably crowded auditorium, reiterated ESPN’s commitment to 3D sports broadcasting while fully recognizing what we’ve all been going on about for months now: nobody’s going to buy an expensive 3D TV—have you seen the… → Read More
Everyone is busy talking about Microsoft Kinect (the project formerly known as Natal), but to me, some much bigger news just dropped at E3 from Microsoft: ESPN live sports access. Simply put: this was the only thing holding me back from completely canceling my cable subscription. As soon as this goes live, I’m done with cable forever.
No, this live sporting access won’t be entirely free, but it’s… → Read More
Here’s a slight update to my World Cup “all you need to know” post from yesterday. I completely forgot to mention that ESPN3.com is streaming all the games live and totally for free. No need to mess around with shady P2P streams. → Read More
Comcast, America’s worst company, just announced that it will have indeed have ESPN 3D in time for this year’s World Cup. Comcast is the first cable provider to commit to carrying the network (while DirecTV announced the same thing several weeks ago). → Read More
DirecTV will be among the first television providers to offer ESPN 3D. The channel launches this June, and DirecTV will place it alongside two other 3D channels, a 24/7 pay-per-view channel and a movies on-demand channel. → Read More
ESPN has long been the leader in live HDTV and the network is about to stay ahead of the curve yet again by launching its own 3D network early this summer. But this network is just a test and ESPN is only committing to it through June 2011. So if you really want your kids growing up watching live 3D events, you better support ESPN’s effort. → Read More
On Friday, word got out that come November 1 Verizon Wireless plans to tack on an extra 3-cent charge for every SMS message sent by Web information services to any of its mobile subscribers. That hike will be on top of the 20 cents per message that Verizon subscribers already pay (even those with “unlimited” plans). Thus, in one fell swoop, Verizon is attempting to boost its SMS revenues by… → Read More
ESPN has been a leader in the high-def field from the start and is now bringing the networks telefim, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, out on Blu-ray. This title marks ESPN’s first Blu-ray publication when it launches on November 11 with a MSRP of $34.95. The Disney-owned station is obviously the leader in high-def sports so hopefully it’s only a matter of time ’till we can see… → Read More
The Active Network, a network of sites focused on getting people involved in sports and other activities, has raised an additional $80 million in a Series F round led by ESPN and joined by Canaan Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, and Performance Equity Partners. → Read More
Announced last year, ESPN U’s inaugural high-def broadcast is this Thursday with a Vanderbilt and Miami of Ohio football game. Now of course your availability depends on your carrier but hopefully fans will have the channel by the 7:30 start. This station marks ESPN’s fourth high-def channel launching after ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNews. HD owners have came to expect high-def sporting… → Read More
PC Magazine reviewed the new ESPN Ultimate Remote and found it sorely lacking. The programming mode is the most problematic – it basically uses codes the way older universal remotes did – and even the magical powers of Wi-Fi don’t really add much to the package. The browser is WAP-only and seems redundant when you could just go grab a laptop and get the same information. They… → Read More
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3440591 Who here’s been watching Euro 2008? All you English lads, I’m sure, and right from your living room. Anyway, I only mention the Euros because of this neat camera technology ESPN has this year, Axis. It’s a 360-degree camera the network uses to show instant replays. It makes plain ol’ telestrators look genuinely… → Read More
At first glance, I thought “Oh, hey, a gimmicky remote with an ESPN logo” but after I started reading about it, it dawned on me that this thing is perfect for sports addicts. It’s basically a universal remote that controls all your A/V stuff, sure, but it also has built-in Wi-Fi and can update real-time scores and stats on the 2.2-inch QVGA screen. The ESPN Ultimate Remote is the… → Read More
How about some on demand college basketball on your Xbox? Microsoft and ESPN announced yesterday that Xbox Live users will be able to download ESPN programing, including college basketball, college football and shows like “Madden Nation.” Does that include “SportsCenter” or “Jim Rome is Burning,” I wonder. Shows will be available within 48 hours of their… → Read More
If you’re into action sports, you’ll be able to watch every flipkick, ollie and even every incredible crash from the X Games on your mobile handset. ESPN, MediaFLO USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of QUALCOMM, and Verizon Wireless have teamed up to launch EXPN for V CAST Mobile TV, a channel to deliver the action from the from X Games 13. Coverage runs from 11:30am PT on August 2 until 3pm PT on… → Read More
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