WatchESPN iOS app lets some people watch live sports wherever they want

By Ben Drawbaugh posted Apr 7th 2011 9:33AM Continuing the trend of tying streaming content to the ol' ball and chain that is your pricy cable subscription, ESPN announced the launch of the WatchESPN App for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, with an iPad optimized version slated for release in May. Said App can be downloaded now and will allow you to "stay connected to live sports and shows from ESPN, wherever and whenever you want them" -- assuming you're a Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV customer that is. The ability to watch three of the most popular cable networks while on the go, or anywhere in your house, is certainly nothing to scoff at, but many sports fans' excitement will indeed be diminished until ESPN fulfills its promise to release apps for "other smartphones and tablets," and of course the other big service providers like Comcast, DirecTV and Dish Network get with the program. For now you can live vicariously through us by clicking through to the gallery or watching the western style WatchESPN App commercial available embedded after the break.

ESPN Launches New 'WatchESPN' App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch

App Gives Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV Subscribers Live Access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com content

NEW YORK, N.Y. – ESPN announced today its flagship network ESPN as well as ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com are now available to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers via the new 'WatchESPN' App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, now available on the App Store.

In time for the early rounds of the Masters, the NBA Playoffs and the beginning of the Major League Baseball season, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers who receive the linear networks as part of their video subscription can now watch the channels from the convenience of their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

"Innovation continues to drive ESPN," said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports. "When we launched in 1979, nobody envisioned a day when people would carry ESPN in their pockets. But here we are. And we've reached this watershed moment for the industry through tremendous collaboration with forward-thinking partners."
The free WatchESPN App includes a simple user interface that takes the current online viewing experience to the high-resolution, Multi-Touch displays of iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Once a user downloads WatchESPN from the App Store, they will receive instructions to enter their cable subscriber credentials and access their favorite ESPN content on their device. A version of the application optimized for the Apple iPad will be available free to download in May.

Added Sean Bratches, executive vice president, sales and marketing for ESPN, "This represents the culmination of our efforts over the last five years. We strive to serve the sports fan wherever they consume sports, and I can't think of a better way to do that than making our networks available to fans whenever and wherever they might be."

The company first launched an online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN in October, 2010. Authenticated versions of ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line launched in January, 2011. Consumers can access the channels through a centralized website, ESPNnetworks.com.

The WatchESPN App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

The App will be available on other smartphones and tablets in the near future.

An iPod Watch Project Explodes Online

Minimal The LunaTik watch designed by Minimal will house an iPod Nano.

A project that began with an iPod Nano and an experimental wristwatch design has quickly exploded online, receiving over $540,000 in funding through Kickstarter, a Web site that helps people find support for projects.

The project was created by the Chicago-based design firm Minimal, which wants to take the iPod Nano, Apple’s latest tiny multitouch iPod, and incorporate it into a wristwatch. Those who pledge $25 to the project will receive a Nano-holding watch kit when it is produced.

Scott Wilson, founder of Minimal, said his company had been astonished by the response to the idea.

“It just seems to keep on going,” Mr. Wilson said, referring to the number of pledges received since the project idea was posted online two weeks ago. “I had expectations that we would get $15,000 in funding from Kickstarter, but by the second day of sales we had quickly passed that.”

Fred Benenson, an employee at Kickstarter, said on Twitter Thursday that the project was the first on Kickstarter to top $500,000 in funding.

Yancey Strickler, a co-founder of Kickstarter, said he believed the project has been successful on the site because the design company making the watch was offering a “narrative into the process of how the product has been made.”

“The design of the product itself is interesting and innovative, but funding it through Kickstarter gives people input into the creation and artisanal method that goes into making this product,” Mr. Strickler said.

The TikTok design created by Minimal turns the Nano into a watch by letting you snap it into a wrist dock. The LunaTik, a more expensive design, is meant to be more permanent. It is made of aluminum and holds the Nano in place with screws.

Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s founder and chief executive, suggested a similar idea during the company’s announcement of the new iPod in September, saying, “One of the members of our board of directors is going to use it as a watch.” And the company clearly had this idea in mind in the design stage, as there is a feature built into the Nano that makes the default screen look like an analog clock.

Mr. Wilson said he decided to finance the project through Kickstarter to ensure that his designers had more input on the final product.

“I’m most excited about using this platform to give creative control to the designers and experiment with the product without having to enter a complicated corporate deal to produce it,” Mr. Wilson said. “It seems to be working; there’s nothing more validating than someone putting a credit card down to buy something.”

Minimal