Apple Launches Sports App in U.S., Canada, UK
By Movieguide® Contributor
Apple has jumped into the sports world with a new app.
With the free Apple Sports app, people in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom will have access to real-time updates and stats for different leagues around the world.
Per Apple, “Apple Sports gives fans a simple and fast way to stay up to speed on the teams and leagues they love. Users can customize their scoreboards on Apple Sports by following their favorite teams, tournaments, and leagues. Fans can easily navigate between scores and upcoming games; explore play-by-play information, team stats, lineup details, and live betting odds;1and tap to go to the Apple TV app to watch live games from Apple and connected streaming apps. Apple Sports will also seamlessly sync with favorites selected within the My Sports experience including in the Apple TV app and Apple News.”
“We created Apple Sports to give sports fans what they want — an app that delivers incredibly fast access to scores and stats,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, said. “Apple Sports is available for free in the App Store, and makes it easy for users to stay up to date with their favorite teams and leagues.”
“You want your scores basically to be real time. You want them to be really easy to get to. And nothing else is getting in the way. And that’s the primary purpose of the app,” he told CNBC of the app.
The app will feature sports scores and stats from leagues including MLS, NBA, NCAA basketball (men’s and women’s), NHL, Bundesliga, La Liga, Liga MX, Ligue 1, Premier League and Serie A.
Other premiere leagues, such as the MLB, NFL, NCAAF, NWSL and WNBA, aren’t available yet, but Apple is working overtime to bring those sports to fans.
The app will also include an Apple TV button to take users to the live game.
“In an ideal world, when I’m looking at the Duke game, it says open the TV app, I’d like it to get me to the game of basketball,” Cue explained. “And that’s what we try to do.”
Movieguide® previously reported on another innovation that will make sports more accessible:
Disney, Warners Bros. and Fox announced that they are joining forces to create a single sports streaming bundle.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said that the entertainment industry will take “an important step forward” with this new move.
Per CNBC, “From Disney, that includes ESPN and its sister networks, such as ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, as well as the ABC broadcast network. Warner Bros. Discovery’s networks that showcase sports are TNT, TBS and TruTV. Fox will include the Fox broadcast station along with FS1, FS2 and BTN.”
“This is obviously a nice, positive step for fans,” media industry analyst Rich Greenfield, a co-founder of LightShed Partners, said.
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