Two weeks after the BBC launched a dedicated iOS sports app for news, live scores and stats, the British broadcaster has rolled out a key update to the mobile app, meaning you can now watch live and on-demand video clips from your mobile iOS device.
As we wrote when it launched in early January, while it was really only a matter of time before a native Sports app was launched – given that almost a third of BBC Sport’s traffic comes from mobile during the weeks, rising to 40% at weekends and as high as 45% on a Saturday afternoon – it felt a little premature. People have come to expect video (and radio) through the main BBC Sport portal, so the omission was an odd one, even though we knew an update was imminent.
Now, you’ll be able to watch snippets of sporting highlights, or live events such as the Australian Open tennis, or Match of the Day.
Naturally, the video flips in horizontal mode, and goes full-screen when you hit the little button in the top-right.
It’s also worth noting that in addition to the iOS update today, the mobile website will also now permanently feature on-demand and live video too, after it was removed following the mobile site’s re-launch in December.
While live video kicks off today with Andy Murray’s match against Roger Federer in the Australian Open semi-final, upcoming live events that will get the mobile treatment include the BBC’s F1 schedule, the Six Nations rugby and, of course, Wimbledon.
In the first release of the app, video will appear on the BBC Sport homepage, football, F1, cricket, rugby league, rugby union, tennis, and golf sections. Additional sections will be added soon.
Android users without Flash, meanwhile, can access BBC Sport’s video content on their mobiles through the BBC Media Player app, which is available as a free download from Google Play. As for the promised Android version of the BBC Sports app, we’re told that it’s in its final stages of development, and it will include video content when it finally goes live.
➤ BBC Sport | iOS
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