ESPN Relaunches App, USA TODAY Introduces New One

Last week ESPN relaunched its app, now self titled after ditching the Sports Center name, while USA TODAY introduced a sports app any serious sports fan will want to add to their library. The former features rebranding with some tighter design, along with the first iPad app, but USA TODAY’s spotlights innovations in the form of hot game alerts and a self proclaimed “Best. Scoreboard.Ever.”

Let’s start with the old but new. At first glance, ESPN (which only has updated the iOS version) offers a very similar user experience. My settings translated smoothly with the update. When I receive news alerts, it’s still accompanied by the infamous SportsCenter jingle. But there’s a bigger picture, which ESPN recently explained to The Verge. Along with an updated phone app and its first iPad app, ESPN will launch a major redesign on April 1, the website’s 20^th anniversary. John Kosner, executive vice president of digital for ESPN, told The Verge the goal is to create an experience across all platforms that is “fundamentally similar in terms of the look and feel.”

ESPN added a “Now” column, a Twitter-esque scroll of news nuggets, reporter Tweets, images and videos chosen by the editorial staff to enhance the scores and news featured by the app – and not bog it down with redundancy.

Want to watch a game after scrolling through scores? Tap it and the WatchESPN app opens automatically.

For Android users, ESPN said it is still working on that platform and did not offer an estimated relaunch date other than “weeks or months to come.”

Meanwhile, the USA TODAY Sports app is available for iOS and Android. And it has some fun features that ESPN’s offering does not. The hot game alert feature, which can be toggled on or off in the settings, blasts in-progress notifications so users won’t miss those can’t-miss moments.

“Consumers have so many options for news and information, yet so few of them solve a fan’s most basic problem: What do I need to know right now so I don’t miss out on what everyone else is talking about, or will be talking about?” said Mark Pesavento, vice president of digital strategy for USA TODAY Sports in a press release.

Tim Gardner is the director of digital programming for USA Today. The editorial team, which works around the clock, falls under his watch, and is responsible for monitoring games and triggering the hot game alerts.

“If it’s Old Dominion and George Mason and they’re heading to double overtime, we’re going to alert you on that as well,” Gardner told NiemanLab.

And then there’s the Best.Scoreboard.Ever. That same editorial staff lists the most important games of the day. Tonight’s top option is North Carolina (16) at Duke (5). Since it’s not yet March, I haven’t paid attention to college hoops one bit. I had no idea the legendary rivalry kicked off its 2015 campaign tonight. And since I already watched this week’s Better Call Saul, maybe I’ll catch a bit of the game. Or at least wait for a hot game alert notify me when it’s late in the second half.

At the bottom of scoreboard it identifies, with photo and Twitter handle, the editor on duty. Poor Evan Hilbert. He’s going to read some harsh tweets tomorrow morning when I realize he didn’t send one hot game alert and I missed the entire Tarheels/Blue Devils slugfest after I fell asleep on the couch.

The app filters news and scores by sport, too, so you’re not just stuck on Evan’s decision making. But compared to ESPN’s app, USA TODAY Sports is pared down. And that’s on purpose. This is for mobile use only. USA TODAY isn’t the multimedia behemoth that ESPN is. It doesn’t need to synergize apps and web and video. Its goal is simple with the app – to fulfill a niche. A niche for the itch of the can’t-miss-moments sports fan.