Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Watch More Sports with Your iOS Device
Here's one of the big draws of the iOS platform: watching live sports at home or elsewhere
with just a few taps. Even better, not all these methods cost money. They could also help you
avoid restrictions on certain games in your area, giving you access to more games than you
would find from your local station. Where once you were limited by the choice of game from
your chosen channels and location, you now have the option to access almost any game you
want by signing up to the right package or accessing the right apps. A decent data plan or a Wi-
Fi connection should be all you need once you have the correct apps on your device.
BASEBALL:
The ultimate baseball app, if not the best sports app overall,
MLB at Bat
provides a unique way to follow the baseball season including live streaming (with an MLB.TV
subscription), highlights, and audio commentary. Better yet, it provides live stats that can be
placed over the video stream to show a multitude of information including box scores, player
stats, and even where individual pitches were aimed.
The app's price changes each year but is typically about $15. It's also available directly from
the Apple TV's Home screen.
In offseason periods, MLB.TV subscribers can to watch any game from the regular season.
During the regular season, all games are streamed, with nonsubscribers able to purchase a
single game stream at a time. An MLB.TV
subscription
costs around $100 for the premium
package that will allow you to view all games in the MLB season.
FOOTBALL:
NFL GamePass
(see the figure at upper right) is my personal favorite ser-
vice, with its online and app-based streaming of every game from the NFL season and addition-
al packages for pre- and post-season games. You can quickly find the game you are after and
watch it right on your iOS device or stream it to your TV via AirPlay. You also get access to NFL
Network 24 hours a day and, in some territories (though not in the U.K.) NFL RedZone. A
sub-
scription
is surprisingly cheap at $40, and it works over both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Note
local games are blacked out.
Frustratingly,
NFL Mobile
is available only to Verizon Wireless customers, for whom it is a
treat. On the iPad, you can use the Game Center feature that includes live audio and drive
charts as well as scores and stats. On the iPhone, you can access NFL RedZone as well as NFL
Network, ESPN Monday Night Football, NBC Sunday Night Football, and NFL Thursday Night
Football, plus Game Center with in-game highlights.
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