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| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| Availability | National |
| Founded | by George Bodenheimer |
| Owner | ESPN (joint venture of The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation) |
| Launch date | 2005 (as ESPN360.com) 2010 (as ESPN3) |
| Former names | ESPN360.com |
| Official website | www.watchespn.com |
ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360) is an online streaming service provided by ESPN that delivers both live streams and replays of global sports events to sports fans in North America, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Middle East, New Zealand, and Europe (except Italy). In the U.S., the network is available to individuals who receive their high-speed Internet connection or cable TV subscription from an affiliated service provider. Since 2008, ESPN3 has also been available to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers with college/university (.edu) and U.S. military (.mil) IP addresses. ESPN3 is only available to Internet providers who pay fees to ESPN. ESPN3 is not carried by traditional cable and satellite providers, as it is not a single channel but can be streaming multiple live events at the same time.
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History [link]
ESPN3 began in 2005 as ESPN360.com, which was more of an on-demand website. In September 2007, ESPN360.com shifted away from on-demand content like studio shows and moved toward placing "emphasis on live events".[1][2] Since shifting its programming focus in 2007, ESPN3 has only aired live and replayed sporting events. On April 4, 2010 ESPN360.com re-launched as ESPN3.com.
ESPN3 became a part of WatchESPN on August 31, 2011. The new service greatly expands the amount of sporting events and ESPN programming available on the service, including live feeds of the ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU cable networks, but the newly expanded services are currently restricted to Verizon FiOS, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks subscribers.[3] Users of other cable providers can continue to access ESPN3 content.[4] On May 8, 2012, ESPN announced that the WatchESPN app would be available to Comcast/Xfinity customers.[5]
Description [link]
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This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (October 2011) |
ESPN3 features millions of hours of live online sports viewing from a broad array of global events including (but not limited to): FIFA World Cup events and global qualifiers, Bundesliga, Premier League, and other major international football leagues, DFB-Pokal, high school football, NCAA college football, Canadian Football League, Allen Wranglers indoor football, NCAA college basketball (both men's and women's), NBA and WNBA basketball, MLB and NCAA baseball, all four "grand slam" tennis events, major golf championships, global cricket and rugby, AFL Australian rules football, Major League and NCAA Lacrosse (as well as the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League, via TSN), and in 2011 ESPN3 has been one of the few sources to view live American Le Mans Series races. Many of the games are simulcast from ESPN and ESPN2, while others are exclusive U.S. broadcasts such as various NCAA College Football games. In the case of the CFL, games are sometimes broadcast on both ESPN3 and on NFL Network. ESPN3 also features exclusive special features, such as additional coverage of non-TV courts at all four Tennis Grand Slams. In 2011 it was announced that ESPN3 acquired exclusive rights to the American Lemans series.[citation needed]
ESPN3 allows fans to switch among as many as 20 events in a main viewing window, although this is far more than most home viewers' bandwidth can handle. Video can be viewed in widescreen (16:9) and normal (4:3) views and can be expanded to full screen or reduced to a compact size. Recently completed events are archived and available for on-demand replay. The WatchESPN player additionally features the following four modules: Featured Events, Stats, Chat 140 section, and Facebook connect. The Featured Events module shows fans all the highlighted live and upcoming events on ESPN3. The Stats section features stats from the event being watched in the player. The Chat 140 section allows fans to chat about the action with other fans watching the event. Lastly, the Facebook module connects fans to their Facebook profile and allows them to both post about the event they're watching on their wall and discuss the event with other Facebook fans.
On November 1, 2010, ESPN3 launched on Xbox Live. This service allows Xbox Live Gold members to access live sporting events on ESPN3, among other offerings, at no additional cost.
ESPN3 uses Adobe Flash Video technology.
Criticism [link]
Some ISPs have complained to the FCC that ESPN3.com violates the principles of network neutrality.[6][7][8] ESPN3.com bundles its content into the fees of the participating ISP, regardless of whether or not users partake in accessing its content. If a particular ISP does not pay subscription fees to ESPN, users of that ISP are blocked from accessing ESPN3.com. There is no way for individual users to overcome these access restrictions as ESPN3.com does not provide subscription options for individual users or any other non-ISP entities.
References [link]
- ^ ESLN Corporate Information Accessed 23 October 2011
- ^ ESPN Changes Broadband Game Plan; Will Relaunch ESPN360 With Emphasis On Live Events Paid Content April 8, 2007
- ^ https://espn.go.com/watchespn/about
- ^ Spangler, Todd. "ESPN Changes 'TV Everywhere' Login Site To WatchESPN.com - 2011-08-31 18:54:36 | Multichannel News". Multichannel News. https://www.multichannel.com/article/473119-ESPN_Changes_TV_Everywhere_Login_Site_To_WatchESPN_com.php. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Template:Http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2012/05/watchespn-comcast-xfinity/
- ^ Eliot Van Buskirk (5 February 2009). "ESPN to ISPs: Pay for Your Customers to Play Video". Wired. https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/02/espn-stands-fir/.
- ^ Ryan Singel (12 June 2009). "Cable ISPs See Net Neutrality Foul in ESPN Online-Video Charges". Wired. https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/06/cable-isps-see-net-neutrality-foul-in-espn-online-video-charges/.
- ^ Reinhardt Krause (24 August 2010). "Will Disney's ESPN Turn The Internet Into A Giant Cable Network?". https://blogs.investors.com/click/index.php/home/60-tech/1872-disneys-espn-plays-defense-over-broadband-fees.
External links [link]
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