Today turned out to be a pretty good day to be a sports fan – especially one who’s always on the move. Both the NFL and ESPN released updates today for their popular iOS and Android apps, including NFL Mobile, and the Sportscenter app respectively, giving users more access to live events when traveling away from home.
Related: How to watch 2014 NFL games streaming live online
The NFL today released an updated version of its NFL Mobile app for Verizon customers, giving the Verizon faithful the ability to catch live streams of local Sunday games and primetime games every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday.
Verizon Premium and More Everything subscribers gain the additional ability to live stream local CBS and FOX games every weekend. More Everything customers also have the option to upgrade to NFL Redzone for $2 per month. Fantasy fans can even stream “Fantasy Live” on weekday evenings and Sunday mornings to get the necessary news and stats to make informed last-minute decisions and alterations to rosters before each week’s games begin.
For its part, ESPN updated its SportsCenter app with the addition of a new “On-Air” feature that lets users access broadcasts of live events. This On-Air option gives one-tap access to ESPN Radio and WatchESPN. If the SportsCenter app can’t stream a selection for whatever reason, users can simply tap the On-Air option and, provided they’ve also got the accompanying app(s) downloaded, ESPN Radio or WatchESPN will automatically load up with the desired stream.
ESPN is smart to design its apps with this sort of crossover compatibility; the setup should theoretically keep the network’s diehard viewers entrenched in ESPN content as they flick from one app to the next to keep up with their hometown heroes.
ESPN also made improvements, as with most updates, to the app’s overall speed and functionality. The changes apparently make it easier and faster to check scores and grab desired info as users’ favorite teams will now be grouped together near the top of charts for easy access. The updates for both the NFL Mobile and SportsCenter apps are available for download via the iTunes Store and Google Play Store.
