ESPN just recently celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary, but this isn’t stopping them from keeping a fresh and up-to-date image of its brand. Formerly known as ESPN ScoreCenter, the worldwide leader’s mobile application is now simply referred to as ESPN.
While losing some of its title, the app also has shed some of the clutter associated within. Similar to the overhaul of the SportsCenter set and ticker on the ESPN network seen back in the summer of last year, this new app embraces a clean and modern style which really catches the eye, especially on the newest Apple, Android and Windows devices.
Tablet users will also be happy to know that this new app is supported by their device. Because of the increased screen size, fans now have access to their favorite teams from any screen within the app.
Along with its visually appealing design, the ESPN app offers a much simpler interface. In addition to the expected sports scores and news sections, there is now a page called “ESPN Now.” This part of the app provides a glance at what is happening at the current moment in the world of sports, rather than what would be found in the news section where there is more of a spotlight on the day’s sports headlines. ESPN Now provides the latest tweets, exclusives, and video highlights of what is current.
But how does the new ESPN app compare to similar ones that all seem to function and field information in the same way? One of its main competitors is the Yahoo! Sports app which touts “fast and clean scores, news, and in-depth stats.” One unique feature that sets the Yahoo! app apart from the ESPN one and others is the interactive timeline to search league scores according to specific dates just by a swipe of the finger.
Fantasy sports lovers enjoy the ability to sign into Yahoo! Sports and easily keep track of fantasy players’ statistics, something not offered in ESPN’s app, with the Players tab. It provides an in-app search tool where users can search for players by last name, those on specific teams in a league, or by the amount of fantasy points they have.
However, the Yahoo! Sports app grants little access to video highlights: something ESPN’s app includes on many of its pages. Also, there is a lack of emphasis on social media in the Yahoo! Sports app as well as it still being optimized up to iPhone 5 standards. Yahoo! dedicates a decent amount of space of its interactive menu to promote its other apps such as Yahoo! Mail, Finance and Weather.
ESPN’s other major opposition in the sports stats apps is that of theScore “designed to deliver the ultimate mobile sports experience.” Just like ESPN’s app, theScore covers many sports and a wide variety of leagues among those sports. In fact, a couple of sports covered by theScore and not by either competing app are the National Lacrosse League, or NLL and the World Junior Hockey Championships.
All of the apps offer personal notifications and are generally customizable. Overall, ESPN’s new app is the most accommodating from the traditional to the most avid fan. Whether it is social media or the latest trending sports video, the ESPN app really includes everything any fan could ask for.