US sports broadcasting titan ESPN is the latest content provider to bring support for the Apple SharePlay group media sharing feature to its streaming app.
The addition will enable viewers in the US to watch games together via a FaceTime, call with a perfectly synced stream of the game, fight, match, or race available to watch via the ESPN app.
ESPN has launched the app update today, with version 6.64 now available to download. The release notes say “select” live sports will be available to view with friends. So perhaps not all live games for the time being.
The update explains: “Stream together with SharePlay – With SharePlay, you can stream select live sports, ESPN+ Originals, and more with friends and family on FaceTime. Try it out on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV (accessible on latest iOS, iPadOS, or tvOS 15.1 update).”
Viewers can also benefit from extension to an Apple TV set-top box, meaning they can watch the game on their TV, while the iPhone or iPad screen can be reserved for the FaceTime chat. It joins the likes of Apple TV Plus, MUBI, Paramount+, NBA, Twitch and SHOWTIME, which already support the SharePlay tech, announced last summer and released in iOS 15.1 last November.
However, we’re yet to see any of the UK sports broadcasters announce support for the app and today’s launch could see some British sports fan cast an eye over the Atlantic with a little envy.
SharePlay is a potentially superb option for watching live sports, because it ensures everyone watching the game is at the exact same point of that game. Considering web streams are far from uniform and often quite far behind the broadcast TV feed, you can spoil/have goals and incidents spoiled just by checking in on the WhatsApp group.
Should Sky Sports, BT Sport and even the BBC add this to their apps, we could all enjoy talking about the game as it happens with less risk a mate pre-empting the winning goal and ruining the moment.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
