With their new NBA League Pass Mobile (US$39.99 per year) app, “The National Basketball Association will give its digital offering the full court press, introducing complete live games on mobile phones, including Apple Inc’s iPhone,” Ben Klayman reports for Reuters.
“The NBA package allows fans to watch more than 40 live games each week. It also offers digital video recording technology to pause and rewind 30 seconds of action and access to up to two days of archived games. Users also will be able to get game statistics while watching the action,” Klayman reports. “Like the TV and Internet packages, locally broadcast games will be blocked for users in their markets, as well as nationally televised games.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: All live, replay and highlight videos are available via Wi-Fi and 3G. Users can watch full game replays for up to 48 hours after the game (blackout restrictions do apply).
More info and download link via Apple’s iTunes App Store here.
MacDailyNews Take: While Major League Baseball is way, way out front in terms of iPhone apps, it’s nice to see that other sports leagues are trying to catch up.
Blackouts suck, and don’t make any sense if your city’s team sells out every home game anyway.
Isn’t this “approved” app redirecting a live TV signal?
If so….
What about the Slingbox App which AT&T;pressured Apple to cripple to Wi-Fi only, denying it 3G capability?
That’s true MDN but, unlike Major League Baseball, you won’t fall asleep and drop your iPhone while watching games from those other leagues (unless we’re talking about soccer which is the ultimate sleep inducer).
Go Bucks!
just what I need. a bunch of thugs in my pocket.
@Eric
I totally agree with you. What is the reason that Apple can approve this video app over 3G, but the slingbox app is restricted to Wi-Fi only. Maybe the FCC needs to get involved.
Curious take, MDN, asserting that MBA is “way, way out front in terms of iPhone apps.”
Awkward grammatical constructions aside, if you were to actually check, I think you’d find that “NBA Game Time 2009-10” is ahead of “MLB.com at Bat 2009” in the Sports category of the App Store. NBA is #2; MLB is #3. Among the Top 100 Paid Apps, NBA is #49; MBA is a no-show.
Apple’s helping this dynamic with their two current basketball features: BASKETBALL App Store Essentials and an NBA apps page.
Just sayin’. But it’s nice that you’re big baseball fans. Good on ya.
Popularity and usability are not to be confused for one and the same. The MLB App is far and away better than the NBA’s App, regardless of the sport it is covering.
What a complete waste of bandwidth.
MLB did it for $10 (granted not all games streamed). Now the goon peddlers at NBA want $40 AND still blackouts? NBA blows! Don’t encourage them!
Does the NFL have an app like this….???
Can’t find it.
I use the Slingplayer app and I subscribed to the NBA broadband package last year on my Mac for $78 so this interests me. I’m thinking that the reason why this app is allowed over 3G is because it’s limited to games, and not your whole cable feed.
I’d love to see an NHL version… without the blackouts!
Let’s Go Rangers!
Let’s have the English Premier League.
Football! The one that’s played with the feet.
Only the dollar-sucking NBA would think blacking out locally broadcast, sold-out games on the iPhone makes sense.
Most users would buy this app so they could watch their local teams. If the local team is on TV, I suspect most users will watch the game on tube rather than on the small iPhone screen.
Bottom line, with no blackouts I’d probably drop $40 for this app so I could watch my team when I’m not at home. But with blackouts: FU NBA.
See: http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html
Sent to:
Chairman Julius Genachowski: Julius.Genachowski@fcc.gov
Dear Chairman Genachowski,
I am writing you to ask you to look into an issue which indicates discrimination by AT&T;Wireless based on Live TV content type over its 3G network as it relates to the new NBA League Pass Mobile Application, now available on the iTunes Application Store for $39.99, as compared to its treatment of other Live TV content (non-NBA) through the SlingMedia Player Application.
I’m sure you are familiar with the “SlingPlayer Mobile” iPhone Application, which currently sells for $29.99 on the iTunes store. This application is designed to stream live television content to the iPhone, and SlingMedia intended it to function both over Wi-Fi and 3G networks. As you know however, the SlingPlayer Application was crippled to operate on “Wi-Fi only” at the direction of AT&T;for allegedly being against its “Terms of Service” that prevented applications “which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer”. (See full quote at: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/12/atandt-issues-official-statement-on-slingplayers-3g-blackout-for/) This is in spite of the fact that AT&T;simultaneously allows both 3G and Wi-Fi functionality for the SlingPlayer Mobile application on other AT&T;Wireless products like its Blackberry devices, which it must not consider “personal computers” for some reason in order to be able to do so. (See http://www.slingmedia.com/go/blackberry). It must also not consider its Windows Mobile SmartPhone devices, its PocketPC Powered Devices, its Palm OS Devices, and its Symbian S60 OS devices, personal computers to be able to do so. All of the aforementioned platform devices on AT&T;permit 3G access to content through the SlingPlayer Mobile Application. However, for the iPhone, of which AT&T;has sold/activated millions and is the sole US carrier-provider, this 3G functionality is crippled, and the application functions in Wi-Fi mode only.
In light of the above, I am asking you to investigate the prior and current behavior of AT&T;based on a new iPhone application: NBA League Pass Mobile. This application is available right now from the iTunes store for $39.99, which means that AT&T;has not denied it. Additionally, AT&T;has NOT crippled the NBA iPhone Application to Wi-Fi only and allows for 3G access as well to Live Content.
I have attached a screen-shot of the application in the iTunes Store. As you can see from the screen-shot, the application allows you to “Watch LIVE NBA games on your phone!”… by how else, redirecting a live TV signal of course!
The iTunes App store description states:
“Watch the games you’ve been missing with a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, even up to 48 hours after the game”
“Watch over 40 LIVE NBA games a week”
“All live, replay, and highlight videos are available on Wi-Fi and 3G networks…”
In crippling the SlingPlayer Mobile Application’s 3G functionality, and by not similarly crippling the NBA Application’s 3G functionality, AT&T;is discriminating based on specific content over its 3G network. AT&T;is allowing live TV content from the NBA over its 3G network and simultaneously does not permit other live TV content through the Sling Media Player for the iPhone. I hope that you will investigate this matter further due to the potential neutrality and content discrimination issues arising here.
Thank you very much,
Eric
@PhxDoc
The FCC heard from me.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> I’ll let you and MDN know if I hear anything from them.
@84 Mac Guy
Ditto what you posted.
The restrictions totally destroy this app. Either price it free or very modestly ($2.99?), then offer the blackout games at a small ($0.99) price, or keep it $40 but give us the blackout games. Otherwise, my ROI is not there at all.
Also, with the possible exception of just a few 1st round games, all the playoffs are broadcast nationally, making this app useless at the most important time of the year!
Does Apple get 30% for all subscriptions like this? If so it could be every lucrative. Every 100K subscriptions would earn Apple $1.2MM.
Youtube videos are blurry over 3G connection but clear over wifi, will this nba app be the same? Because if it only gets clear games when your at home with your wifi… whats the point? (I cant seem to find a video showing the quality)
N.F.L. PLEASE.
NCAA please take note! It’s time for a March Madness app!
NFL …… pay close attention
@KenC
Doesn’t matter if it’s just for games… It’s still a redirection of a live TV signal…. which they now allow for live NBA games but not for SlingPlayer for other live TV?
Frankly, it’s total BS by AT&T;….
maybe there is a difference in sales because NBA is just starting and MLB is just about over?