The NHL has today announced that its teams will begin using iPad Pros with a new app designed by itself, SAP, and Apple to help coaches with the large amounts of data that is involved with the sport. The SAP/NHL Coaching Insights app will offer 60 real-time stats for individual players and teams.
The NHL iOS app is getting a significant upgrade. While more video is the headline feature, there are a couple of other reasons for ice hockey fans to be happy …
Sports side TSN is reporting that Apple is close to reaching agreement with the National Hockey League for all teams to use iPads rather than Microsoft’s Surface tablets. This follows a multi-year deal agreed with Major League Baseball earlier this year.
The National Hockey League has informed teams that it is in late-stage negotiations to strike a partnership with Apple that could see the company’s iPads and other technology become commonplace on team benches.
The NHL had been in extended talks with both Microsoft and Apple over whose tablets would be used by teams, but an NHL source suggested that it is now almost certain that the iPad will be chosen …
Yahoo is today launching a Yahoo Sports app for Apple TV that lets users access free sports news, live streams, and video highlights that the service already offers via an iOS app and across other platforms.
German Apple blog Macerkopf notes that Apple TV users in Germany today have been greeted with new content in a server-side update that includes Vevo and NHL channels. Vevo first landed on the Apple TV for US, Canada, and other countries back in August alongside a big update for the platform that also brought content from Disney, the Weather Channel, Smithsonian, and others. The National Hockey League channel, however, has been available in many countries since an Apple TV update back in 2011.
Apple has been adding a ton of new content to Apple TV in recent months fueling rumors that a major revamp to the platform could be on the way. Most recently the company added new content from Major League Soccer and Disney Junior in the US.
Update: Users in the UK are also reporting receiving access to the NHL channel:
There's @NHL now on #AppleTV !! Get in!! New season starts… tomorrow? Here's hoping the UK sub options are good!
— Tony McGuire (@tmcgvideo) October 1, 2013
https://twitter.com/betterthan/status/384985585146146816
CW’s Xbox app
During a presentation with advertisers, CW Network president Mark Pedowitz announced that the network would be expanding its content offerings to new multimedia devices. This strategy will include a spot as an app on the Apple TV set-top-box’s home screen.
The network confirmed this to MacRumors:
It’s a dedicated CW app that will work like our Xbox and mobile and tablet apps – no cable authentication required, full episodes of our shows available next day after air, ad-supported.
Notably, as noted in the above quote, the CW content will be ad-supported.
CW currently streams its content to software on Microsoft Windows devices such as the Xbox. Apple recently added Hulu Plus and sports content to the Apple TV, and the current generation Apple set-top-box has sported YouTube and Netflix integration since launch.
Apple is also rumored to be nearing a content deal for Apple TV with HBO.
CW currently hosts various TV episodes in addition to some original content. The network lists its show offerings on its website.