ESPN on Xbox Live was Microsoft’s first network partner on the Xbox 360 back in 2010 and the network has signed a new deal to stream content on the Xbox One. ESPN.com clips, ESPN 3 live content and everything streamed through WatchESPN, which requires a cable-authenticated package, are all presented in the app.
“Sports fans know what they like. We’re just trying to give them better ways to access that content in a more quickly and more user-friendly format,” David Jurenka, Director of Sports at Xbox Entertainment Studios, says. Within the app, users can create a specific channel for their favorite team, and the app will even pull in their personalized data from ESPN’s ScoreCenter app.
In addition to ESPN, Microsoft’s new partnership with the NFL has spurned development of an NFL app for Xbox One – with NFL Network content, including Thursday Night Football and NFL Red Zone – and a fantasy football app for Xbox 360. The latter app, which allows players to log into their NFL.com fantasy teams and do just about everything they could on a computer or smartphone, should be available today. Users can adjust their lineups and watch NFL.com highlights through their Xbox 360 console. The NFL app is also coming to Xbox One in November.