What's the killer sports app?
The newly announced Disney, Fox, Warner Bros. app is a start. But we can do better.
It’s Friday and I spent a lot of time this week working on a project I’m hoping to share later this month, but for now, I’m tired.
So, let’s spend some time today thinking about a question I’m hoping will inspire some of my esteemed readers to respond in the comments.
What is the killer sports app?
For those not familiar with the term, it basically refers to an app that is so amazing and innovative that it’s virtually indispensable to users, influencing future creative trends and sparks a boatload of sales. From where I’m sitting — specifically in my basement in close proximity to a lovely smart TV — that killer app doesn’t exist yet for sports. But we may be getting close.
Let’s start by thinking about what features you’d want this app to include. Again, drop your suggestions in the comments, Here are a few quick requests from me:
Ability to sub-curate my viewing experience (e.g. Follow a particular golf pairing during a tournament even if the main coverage is focused elsewhere; or select alternate camera angles, or better yet, combine these elements to create my own quad- or octobox of live feeds. … Shout out to NFL RedZone fans who know all about the octobox.)
Ability to interact with the game I’m watching (calling up live stats, replays or highlights I missed while getting a beer)
Ability to place live wagers right on the same device I’m using to watch the game, without going away from the game
Ability to curate an experience to serve updates and alerts on my fantasy sports rosters or my favorite “real” teams or athletes
Alerts suggesting to tune into another game with unfolding drama like a close finish or a possible no-hitter/perfect game
Oh, and of course, the ability to stream live sports. Like all of them, the big games of the night, my favorite teams, the top leagues, the obscure ones, domestic leagues, international, any game, anywhere, any time.
Am I asking for the impossible? Almost certainly. At least at the moment.
My biggest current pain point is a lack of ability to see or easily discover where a particular game is streaming. I have YouTube TV, which will present me with the game options available through that cable plan, but I have no idea what’s streaming that night on Hulu or ESPN+ or Max or Peacock or Apple TV+ unless I check for listings online using my phone or laptop or go and fire up each of those apps individually.
This may be changing, to a degree at least, with the announcement that Disney, Fox and Warner Brothers (who control Hulu, ESPN and Max, along with roughly 85% of the live sports inventory) will collaborate to create a new sports app combining all of their live sports properties for a monthly fee. Ars Technica had a pretty good breakdown here.
Will this solve my problem? To a large degree, yes, given that those media companies hold rights for a wide range of leagues, including the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and NHL, plus the PGA, Wimbledon, UFC, Formula 1 events, the World Cup, and college sports. So all of that inventory would be browsable in one place. But … I’d also have to pony up for that app every month in addition to my ongoing payments for YouTube TV and my other streaming subscriptions. Is that worth an extra $50 or so a month? I’m not so sure, since I already subscribe to Hulu, ESPN+ and Max. Presumably, there would be a bundle, but still it’s going to be more than I’m paying now.
Plus, to truly get “all sports” I’d still need to keep my Peacock subscription for the odd exclusive event, like the Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game this past winter. And how might the potential NBA-Amazon Prime rights deal affect things?
If it’s just a matter of finding the right service for the right game among the apps I already have, I’ll probably just find a better online source to see what’s airing where.
But if this app could deliver a single-screen experience? Now we’re talking.
Alright, your turn. What do you think the perfect sports app looks like? Drop those brilliant ideas in the comments and have a great weekend.
Hi, I’m Mike. I’m a former editor for The Washington Post and ESPN. In 2024 I founded and now operate Launcher, LLC, a digital media consultancy operating out of Arlington, Va. Want to work together? Reach out on LinkedIn.
Right now on comcast you can put in the name of any actor and everything that they are in will tape when it is on TV. It would be interesting to see if they could use that same concept for an athlete.