Mobile ESPN returns on Verizon's V Cast |
|
|
|
Published
:
Wed, 16 May 2007 06:54
|
NEW YORK (AP) - Mobile ESPN, which failed to attract enough sports fans as its own cell phone company, will begin its reincarnation as part of Verizon Wireless' lineup Wednesday.Renamed ESPN MVP, the customizable feed of sports scores, news and video highlights will be available on five Verizon phones initially as part of the cellular carrier's V Cast service. It will be included at no extra cost as part of the $15 a month charge for V Cast's assorted multimedia offerings.The relaunched ESPN service will look and function much as it did before, relying on the same sophisticated software to navigate through feeds culled from ESPN's TV, Internet and radio content. These include real-time score updates, video highlights, short newscasts and news alerts. Many features can be customized around a user's favorite sports or teams.The Verizon relationship is the first example of the new strategy that ESPN executives promised last year in pulling the plug on Mobile ESPN as a standalone cell phone company featuring its own handsets, calling plans, customer service and monthly phone bills.That ambitious venture, launched in late 2005 by parent company Walt Disney Co., is believed to have signed up fewer than 30,000 customers. The shutdown marked the first major bust in a rush of specialized cell ventures targeting niche audiences they contend are underserved by mainstream carriers.Last year, Disney said it had invested a combined $150 million in developing Mobile ESPN and Disney Mobile, another so-called 'MVNO,' or mobile virtual network operator, that is still available. An MVNO doesn't have its own wireless network. Instead, it puts its brand on another wireless operator's service -- whose name is hidden from the customer -- and offers its own lineup of handsets and calling plans.Verizon Wireless is owned jointly by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|
|
|
|
Print this Story
Squint TV: Television comes to cellular 