- iOS 16 will launch later in the year and will offer a range of sports features
- Apple Fitness is made available to all iPhone users, even without an Apple Watch
Apple is rolling out a batch of new features for sports fans to connect with their favorite teams, leagues and players right from the tech giant’s operating systems.
The iOS 16 updates for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV were unveiled at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in California, as Apple signaled an ongoing push into the sports and fitness space.
The main changes announced concern the lock screen and notifications, with the updates offering the potential to delight fans even when they aren’t actively using their phone. Lock screens can now be customized with widgets that display real-time information, meaning sports organizations and publishers can act as third-party developers to create plugins that provide real-time updates such as scores or comments.
The Live Activities feature will also feature strong first-party support. Apple has added a sports section to its Apple News application that shows results, schedules, and rankings for many professional and collegiate sports competitions.
A user’s favorite teams and leagues are synced across all devices, including the Apple TV, to support these “live activity” notifications. Apple showed a widget with Major League Baseball (MLB) scores and play-by-play action. The tech giant has a long-standing relationship with the North American Baseball League, and the pair recently signed a broadcast deal to stream two exclusive live games each week live on Apple TV+.
The integration also offers sports publications and rights holders another avenue to reach fans and generate additional revenue streams, with the potential to tap into Apple News’ more than 125 million subscribers
“Apple News is the number one news app wherever it’s available, and it’s poised to be fantastic for sports fans,” said Rubie Edminson, Apple’s sports editor, during the event. “You can now follow your favorite teams and leagues to get stories from hundreds of the best publishers in a brand new section called ‘My Sports’.”
Apple News+ subscribers get “premium” coverage from local newspapers, and all users can see highlights.
“Now you can see the best plays from your favorite teams right in your news feed,” added Edmonson, who confirmed that “My Sports” will be available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia when iOS 16 launches later this year market is coming.
Apple’s fitness application is made available to all iPhone users, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch. Instead of a dedicated wearable, the app takes data from the iPhone’s native motion sensors and third-party apps to track steps, distance, and workouts. The live activity framework means this information can be displayed alongside the live sports widgets on the lock screen if desired.
SportPro says…
Apple’s unique selling proposition in the mobile communications market has always been the close integration of hardware and software. As the smartphone market matured, Apple expanded into other devices and introduced new services that generated subscription revenue, which is now a large part of its business, while further locking customers into its ecosystem.
The company has also launched dedicated music, video, news, gaming, and fitness services that work across all of its devices. With the launch of these new sports-specific features, it is now clear that there is a concerted effort to make the Apple ecosystem an ideal companion for sports fans.
Native support for scores, news and highlights can be positioned as a key feature of its products, while also acting as a hub supporting both first-party content and third-party applications, as well as the Apple TV streaming service. Apple could also gain an advantage when purchasing broadcast deals, as it can offer rights holders access to a highly engaged, loyal user base that is more comfortable with the introduction of new features and technologies than users of other technology platforms.
Comments are closed.