\Apple Sports is receiving quite the upgrade with its version 1.6 update. The mobile app, which debuted in February, will now offer coverage of NFL and NCAA football games.
Football fans will be able to follow their favorite NFL teams “all season long in real time,” as well as “check scores, stats, play-by-play, and more for every Division 1 conference and team,” according to the App Store release notes. The app also now offers a Stats tab on game pages where you can access information including team stats, box scores, and the starting lineups. Apple Sports also offers coverage of the NCAA March Madness tournament and the current seasons of NBA, MLB, NHL, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Liga MX, Ligue 1, Premier League, and Serie A. It’s available for iPhones running iOS 17.2 or higher.
Apple Sports is competing in an increasingly crowded field as live sports content continues to migrate from traditional cable television to modern streaming services. The NBA recently announced that it would not renew its multi-decade television rights deal with TNT, but would instead switch to Amazon. Premier League Football, similarly, can be found on NBC’s Peacock streaming platform. Live televised sports were some of the last events that television viewers collectively got together to watch, which in turn has stalled the inevitable decline of traditional cable. With more and more leagues and viewers opting for streaming platforms like MLBTv, NFLTv, Venu (which is currently blocked by the courts), and ESPN+, over cable, that decline will likely only accelerate.
Apple is expanding more than its sports coverage. The company also announced on Monday that it will launch its first in-house true-crime podcast, Scamtown, next week on August 26. The show will be an 11-episode anthology produced by FunMeter, the team behind The Big Conn and McMillion$. Each episode will, “highlight a different scheme, featuring a mix of wild hustles, surprising heists, forbidden love and explosive moments, with stories told by both the creators and the individuals who lived through them,” per the announcement.
Source: Apple App Store via 9to5Mac
