Apple has released a special ‘Shot on iPhone’ TV commercial for European markets called ‘The beautiful game’. It features iPhone photography of football stadiums, goalposts and players. The ad will likely air during the UEFA European Football Championship games, which kicks off tomorrow …
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Tim Cook’s pitch for the fourth generation Apple TV so far has been largely that “the future of TV is apps”, and this week yet another premium cable and satellite network is launching a standalone version of its network for cord cutters. Starz, which before now has required a traditional cable or satellite package for access, is launching a streaming version of its network for a monthly rate competitive to HBO and Netflix. The new Starz app is available on iPhone, iPad, and the fourth generation Apple TV for $8.99/month if you don’t have the network in your cable package. Also in the streaming space, we learned today that Twitter has emerged victorious is scoring the rights to stream 10 NFL “Thursday Night Football” games in the next season…
The NFL is said to be looking at Apple, Google, Amazon and Yahoo as platform partners for streaming its Thursday night football games according to SportsBusinessDaily:
The league also sent RFPs to several digital companies, like Google, Yahoo, Apple and Amazon, to stream the entire Thursday night schedule on a non-exclusive basis, sources said. The league’s initial plan would have the digital streams serve as a simulcast of the television production — with the same ads and in-game production features. The league expects bidding to start in the low $300M for the television package, with a nominal escalator in year two, sources said.
Yahoo, who is expected to bid, paid $15M to exclusively stream one game this season according to the report so the deal would be a big one. Because the streaming deal would be non-exclusive, the prices would be much lower on a per-game basis. More importantly, the deal would hopefully be the first step into the much larger goal of streaming the whole NFL Season.
Apple TV got the Game Pass service featuring live preseason football games on updated NFL app just four months ago, and now has tvOS as a platform to expand on that.
We know Tim Cook likes his Auburn football and SVP Eddy Cue is a big sports fan so…
Live sports on Apple TV has always been a tricky matter as networks typically keep major sporting events on tradition channels, but we’re slowly starting to see more and more major sporting events officially available on Internet streaming services. CBS Sports is making waves in this space especially as it announced this week that it will stream two regular season NFL games, four playoff games, and even Super Bowl 50 on Apple TV, iPad, and other devices this season.
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Apple TV users may notice a new coat of paint on the NFL app today. That’s because the set-top box’s NFL channel has received a major update that adds the new Game Pass feature for football fans. We first learned last month that the NFL’s Game Pass service was headed to Apple TV.
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NBCUniversal announced today that it will offer a free live stream of Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1 to all desktop and tablet users to promote its TV Everywhere service. For smartphones, Verizon has exclusive rights to stream the event to users through its own mobile app.
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Earlier this month we reported that the NFL network was testing its NFL Now service as a channel on the Apple TV. The subscription sports service launch followed a few days later with apps for iPhone and iPad in tow, and today the Apple TV channel has arrived as well. While the football channel does not support viewing live games, it does feature highlight clips and other programs as part of the service. Here’s how NFL Now describes the service:
NFL Now gives you personalized access to the largest digital library of NFL content available anywhere including news, analysis and highlights, plus NFL Films archives all on your favorite devices. Some premium content requires a paid subscription.
Football season is only a few weeks away and while you’re busy making preparations for your office’s annual draft, ESPN has updated its Fantasy Football app. In addition to a refined UI, the revitalized software lets users create a team or league directly from within the app, tracking trades, injuries, scores and more.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZPupLRu6ZU]
Nike is today launching a brand new app called Nike Football (or Nike Soccer in the US), that will act as a hub for all things Nike Football from exclusive content and Q&A sessions with athletes to the latest product launches for the company’s line of football products. Nike is also including some social features that let users organize their own pick-up games, trash talk among friends and teammates, and more:
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Super Bowl 50 may not be until 2016, but preparations are already underway for the landmark game, which will be held in the brand new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. To help pay for the costs of holding this massive event, several Silicon Valley companies, including Apple, Google, and Intel, have each pledged $2 million.
This money will go toward funding the public costs associated with bringing a throng of excited sports fans from across the nation into the same city, such as police overtime.
Earlier this year Apple was believed to be preparing an ad to air during the Super Bowl for the 30th anniversary of the Mac, though the ad was instead posted to the company’s website.
In April, when the Denver Broncos swapped out its traditional 500-page playbooks for iPads, we heard rumors that other teams were considering making the switch as well. Other professional sports teams have followed, one of which is the Indianapolis Colts. BizTechMagazine has an interesting piece profiling the team’s purchase of over 120 iPad 3s as playbook replacements for both players and coaches:
“Pagano feels it’s a competitive advantage to give players all the information at their fingertips and for them to learn in a way they have grown accustomed to,” says Ryan Fannin, the Colts’ director of football information systems. “It’s not about pen and paper anymore. We are able to tie a video with a diagram of a play. It helps players learn, and it’s a huge benefit for the team.”
The team also provides game films and video of their practices over streaming video, allowing players to review game and practice footage on their iPad devices. In past seasons, Colts players primarily watched game film using specialized computer equipment at team meeting rooms at the Colts’ practice facility. “It’s much easier,” Fleener says of the iPad devices. “You can watch from home.”
When players log in to their devices from the practice facility or from home, they can download the latest playbook from their coaches as well as daily practice schedules, travel itineraries, motivational notes and strategic tips from their position coaches, Fannin says. The digital playbook is more than a PDF. With the app, players can select categories of plays. Coaches can also attach a video to a specific play, so players can see the play in motion.
