ESPN Rebrands Apple TV App, New Features Added

The ESPN Apple TV app has undergone some key changes, including receiving a more familiar name. The moves come as the No. 1 sports network in the U.S. has seen its number of subscribers drop in recent months.

The WatchESPN app on Apple TV is now simply called ESPN. With the rebranding, the app now plays a live stream of one of the company’s networks at launch. This allows authenticated users to get into the action without taking additional steps.

The ESPN app also includes a new collection of curated on-demand videos from some of the channel’s most popular titles. This includes content from “30 for 30,” E:60,” “Outside the Lines,” “SC Featured,” and more.

Finally, the app has become more streamlined. For example, under the Featured content, you can find videos by Sports & Events or Channels.

In 2016, the number of ESPN subscribers dropped to 90 million from 92 million the year before. As a result, ad revenues fell 7 percent during the last three months of the year. In doing so it hopes to cut $100 million in salaries in the coming months.

Note: ESPN has not rebranded the WatchESPN app for iOS.