Update: Bloomberg has updated its story to say that Disney and Apple are actually NOT in talks to bring the WatchESPN service to the Apple TV.
No deal is imminent with Apple, said Amy Phillips, a spokeswoman for Bristol, Connecticut-based ESPN.
“We’re not having conversations with Apple about authenticating WatchESPN,” Phillips said.
According to a report from Bloomberg, which cites ESPN executive Sean Bratches, Apple is currently in talks with Walt Disney’s ESPN network to bring the WatchESPN app, currently available for iPhone and iPad and recently opened up to Comcast customers, to Apple TV:
ESPN subscribers with AppleTV would gain access to the network’s Internet service on their sets. The sports network, which today announced programming for the TV season starting in September, said a deal isn’t imminent.
Bratches spoke with Bloomberg in an interview today:
“We’re a platform-agnostic content company… To the extent that in the future there’s an opportunity with Apple to authenticate through the pay-TV food chain as we’re doing with Microsoft, that’s something that we will participate in.”
The WatchESPN iOS app currently provides access to live streaming for the majority of ESPN’s content to Bright House Networks, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon FiOS TV customers. The app offers content from nearly every ESPN channel including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU. A full list of features from the iOS app’s iTunes page is below:
The WatchESPN app features:
Live streaming access to the top events from the ESPN family of networks, including:
* NBA Regular Season and Playoffs
* Major League Baseball
* The Masters, US Open and The Open Championships
* College Football and Basketball
* Barclay’s Premier League, Spanish Primera Division and Euro 2012 Soccer
* All 4 Grand Slam tennis events
…and thousands more live events airing on the ESPN networks
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