The Walt Disney Company’s ESPN is moving forward with a new feature that will allow sports fans to find and watch games across different channels and services.
The feature, called Where to Watch, first debuted in March as part of a limited test run in Boston, where ESPN listed games available on its own multiplex network, streaming service ESPN Plus and Fenway Sports Group’s regional channel New England Sports Network (NESN).
Now, ESPN is bringing the feature to all sports fans, and is expanding the number of third-party networks and streaming apps that will integrate into their aggregated electronic program guide.
The tool aims to take the complexity out of finding sports across channels and services, at a time when the sports television landscape is becoming increasingly fractured.
“Simplifying discovery of sporting events and where a fan can watch has become increasingly important as sports viewing has become fragmented across networks and platforms,” Brian Marshall, the Vice President of Sports Product and Technology at ESPN and Disney, said in a statement. “ESPN has always been the first stop for sports fans, and as we continue our evolution as the preeminent digital sports platform, we are proud to meet the needs of fans with new features to improve the discoverability of live sports and simplify their consumption journeys.”
The Where to Watch feature works on ESPN’s smartphone, tablet and smart TV apps as well as the ESPN website. The service supports most major sports franchises, including the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), NASCAR, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Formula 1, PGA Tour, Major League Soccer (MLS) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
In an interview with a trade publication earlier this year, ESPN Vice President of Strategy Tim Bayus said the overall goal with What to Watch was “about improving discoverability of people’s favorite teams and who’s carrying their games.” But a preliminary review of the feature by The Desk showed it merely offered information about where games are being televised, with few options for viewers to switch into an app that carried the channel or service, beyond a few partner apps like MLB.TV. ESPN says “additional sport and events coverage will be added over time,” but offered no further information.
Still, the feature could prove to be immensely helpful for sports fans who want to stay on top of their favorite team or competition, but who find the landscape of cable and streaming to be confusing. For now, they’ll still have to switch channels or apps on their own.
