³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport on Mobile
Post categories: ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport,Ìýmobile,Ìýtablet
| 11:45 UK time, Thursday, 14 June 2012
A dedicated video index displays the live video available on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport mobile website
Hello - I'm Lucie Mclean, senior product manager in ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Future Media and responsible for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport services on mobile devices.
During this first full week of Euro 2012 games, we've been testing some exciting new ways to enjoy the football, which I'm delighted to unveil to you all today.
Ahead of England's clash with Sweden tomorrow, you can now watch all the Euro 2012 matches broadcast by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ directly on your mobile - live, and on demand, as well as highlights from all games. And that video will be available on 3G and wifi, so you can keep up and catch up with all the action wherever you are.
You can access the video through the existing ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport website via your mobile or tablet, or via the new mobile-optimised sport homepage
Video is available in the UK on iPhones and iPod touches with iOS 5.0 and above, on the iPad and on Android devices with OS 2.2 and above.
Audience research shows that users are increasingly looking to the web on the go, getting the content they want when, and where, they want it. Huge numbers of people already enjoy live and demand video on their desktop, at home or office, and text and data services on their mobile. By offering video across mobile devices we aim to give sport fans the complete picture wherever they are.
We have also redesigned the Sport homepage on mobile devices, in part to showcase the new video, but also to bring in line with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport website's new-look launched in February.
This new design provides easy access to the latest news, live scores and results plus all the new live and on demand video now available. It has been developed using an approach called 'responsive design', adapting to your mobile phone's screen size and capabilities. Responsive design enables us to efficiently deliver appropriate experiences to the huge (and growing) range of devices. My colleague, Chris Russell, Head of Product for News, explains more about responsive design at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ here.
These new features are part of our overall strategy to offer the best ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport content across four screens and ensure audiences never miss a moment of big sporting events.
And Euro 2012 is just the start of a unique summer of Sport on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. We'll be bringing you Wimbledon, F1 (including the British GP from Silverstone), the Open Golf and of course the Olympics, all available live and on demand on your mobile device.
Our mobile Olympics service will include up to 24 live video streams, detailed schedule and results and also access via ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport Olympic apps on iOS and Android.
And post-Games we'll be making further responsive improvements to the Sport mobile site, together with the launch of a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport app.
Delivering live and on demand video across a range of tablets and mobiles is complicated, and there are instances where we still have a few bugs to iron out. We have taken the decision to get these services out to you now so that they can start to use and enjoy them, but also so we can listen, learn and improve them. Please do send us your thoughts and feedback - it will play a crucial role in how we continue to improve. You can send feedback to mobile@bbc.co.uk or comment below.
Lucie Mclean is Senior Development Producer Product Manager, Mobile Sport and 2012, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Future Media (corrected 14 Jun)
Comment number 1.
At 14th Jun 2012, Mog0 wrote:Any chance of support for Windows Phone?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 14th Jun 2012, yross wrote:Is it possible the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ will have this service for BlackBerry in the future?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 14th Jun 2012, Beauuuuuty wrote:Windows Phone support please!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
At 14th Jun 2012, geoff freestone wrote:I tried the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ football feed last night on my galaxy note - fantastic! It was through wifi and was very watchable, unlike every other football game I've tried to watch on a mopbile device.
Could you sell this to ITV quickly....? Tried to watch theirs the other day, not a hope.
Thank you ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
At 14th Jun 2012, accessjunky wrote:Another call for Windows Phone support please (and for the iPlayer)
Complain about this comment (Comment number 5)
Comment number 6.
At 14th Jun 2012, martin_phillips wrote:Windows Phone support please!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 6)
Comment number 7.
At 14th Jun 2012, wearymadness wrote:As a license payer I demand Windows Phone support. All programming made and aired by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is ubiquitous to license payers, therefore, so should ALL content through all digital channels be available to all.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 7)
Comment number 8.
At 14th Jun 2012, EOIN wrote:I was already watching all the football live using the bbc Iplayer app. not really i huge revelation
Complain about this comment (Comment number 8)
Comment number 9.
At 14th Jun 2012, PJLeeds wrote:I'm sure it's a great product, so congratulations to the development team. Please develop support for Windows Phone! Thanks.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 9)
Comment number 10.
At 14th Jun 2012, Redman wrote:there is a problem with this - the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ seems intent on gradually getting rid of all its live sports coverage...
and anyway how many people really want to watch the England Euro 2012 match on their phone????
Complain about this comment (Comment number 10)
Comment number 11.
At 14th Jun 2012, SpecialK wrote:Ditto the Windows Phone Support.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 11)
Comment number 12.
At 14th Jun 2012, Michael wrote:support for windows mobile/phone will probably be down to microsoft. If the web browser on windows phone does not support this there is little the bbc can do
Complain about this comment (Comment number 12)
Comment number 13.
At 14th Jun 2012, Beauuuuuty wrote:Can someone explain what technology is behind this? If I access it via Windows Phone it says 'you have to have to correct version of flash player'. It used to say this on my iPad, and now it works. I assumed the videos are HTML5 now? And if so, what's stopping it from working on Windows Phone?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 13)
Comment number 14.
At 14th Jun 2012, Cornish1 wrote:Want to watch the football (or any live sport .. or any program for that matter) on terrestrial TV on your phone .... Windows or whatever ?
Just use - it's been there for ever & works great.
Simples.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 14)
Comment number 15.
At 14th Jun 2012, PJLeeds wrote:Re Posts 12 and 13. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ has to develop software to make it work with Windows Phone. Post 12 is incorrect - it has nothing to do with Microsoft. The problem is that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is clearly a little biased towards Apple and Google.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 15)
Comment number 16.
At 14th Jun 2012, Josh Tumath wrote:It's great to see I'm not the only one wanting Windows Phone support!
But it's worth waiting to see what Microsoft's plans are for Windows Phone 8. They'll be completely changing the development platform, and there's no point developing two apps.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 16)
Comment number 17.
At 14th Jun 2012, PJLeeds wrote:Good point Josh. Hopefully more people will begin to realise that Windows Phone is far superior to iPhone and Android. Or it might go the same way as Betamax video!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 17)
Comment number 18.
At 14th Jun 2012, Phill wrote:windows phone support please. via an app or through the mobile. silverlight is not a new or mystical technology.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 18)
Comment number 19.
At 14th Jun 2012, lettice wrote:I must admit on the iphone this looks really good and so much better than the old site.
The pages are rather long but I suppose it has to squeeze in the normal website content, whose front page is way too long each day.
Like the menu part at the top, will be good when all the other bbc sites use this, tried a few and just got the old mobile site, yuk!
One thing, its a a pain having to refresh all the time and wait for it to refresh the timeline on sportsday. Can that be made automatic like it was in the past.
This is one thing I hate on the main website and Ive given up with it as its just making what was a rolling live update ticker now a crawl.
Oh and please move away from using flash video so mobile devices can see the video, some video on the sports website works some doesn't, so its possible for you so why the mixture.
Will have to wait for the sweden footie match tomorrow to test the live video on ipad and iphone.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 19)
Comment number 20.
At 14th Jun 2012, gio300zx wrote:About time there was support for Windows Phone - in fact, that should be support for non-flash. Adobe announced they would stop development of Flash for mobile devices in November 2011. Not exactly news but what it means is no ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ video content anywhere on the website will run on any Windows Phone from 7.1 upward. Microsoft blame Adobe and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are choosing to support only 2 of the 3 global phone standards. As posted before, Silverlight is not exactly new and html5 is how it's all going to work in future so this refusal to do anything about Windows Phone and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ content is massively frustrating for Windows Phone users caught between three monoliths not talking to each other! Given the amount of contact between Microsoft and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ it's a bit baffling / bloody disgrace (delete according to your opinion).
Complain about this comment (Comment number 20)
Comment number 21.
At 14th Jun 2012, Mike wrote:Hi, got all excited when web page said Android 2.2 and above could consume Video, but having tried it seems you don't mean that and Flash is required? Please confirm.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 21)
Comment number 22.
At 14th Jun 2012, dale wrote:Would love this on Windows Phone.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 22)
Comment number 23.
At 14th Jun 2012, Jimbo wrote:As above - Windows Phone 7 platform please, same goes for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iplayer
Complain about this comment (Comment number 23)
Comment number 24.
At 14th Jun 2012, SewerSide wrote:It says I need flash player. And flash player is not available for my (Android 2.3) device.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 24)
Comment number 25.
At 14th Jun 2012, Open4D wrote:Re: PJLeeds in post 15 .... Surely, as this new ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ product is a *website*, it is largely Microsoft's fault if the Windows Phone can't view it properly?
By contrast, if it turns out that the upcoming ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport *app* does not have a version written for Windows Phones, that would of course be the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s 'fault'. (That's why I prefer mobile *websites* over mobile *apps* wherever possible.)
To claim the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is biased towards Apple and Google is silly. For many years the iPlayer only worked on Microsoft-based desktop PCs - i.e. licence fee money being used to re-inforce Microsoft's monopoly position there. At least in the smartphone market there are 4 major players.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 25)
Comment number 26.
At 14th Jun 2012, Steve Pearce wrote:And people claim windows mobile has no userbase, clearly not given the above. Il add my name to the list that wants support for WP7!!!
The daft part is, Android devices in particular operate in vastly different ways so an app created for one phone may not work at all on another. The whole point of WP7 though is that its not a specs-chase and therefore all devices should operate the same.
Open4D, it might be a website but it uses a plugin to display content, something on which development stopped some time ago because it is a buggy, insecure and resource hogging plugin. Support for this plugin, Flash, is not within WP7 and indeed isn't supported by Apple either. Yet the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ took time to develop an app-that-looks-like-a-webpage that detects when an apple device is viewing and forwards it to a video format that it can view. They could, but havnt yet expressed any desire to, do the same for WP7.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 26)
Comment number 27.
At 14th Jun 2012, Darren wrote:Come on windows phone is a MUST! Yes Windows phone 8 is about to be released but an app designed for the current generation will more than likely work with the next. Even if it doesn't it will give you a familiarity such that when windows phone 8 is released you know what your doing.
When you consider this with the fact that current phones wont get the upgrade to Windows phone 8 means there will be phones running current generation software for a while. So go on get familiar with Windows phone workings and make some support for video streaming! With the release of Windows 8 coming out in September for tablets, that flash wont work with, developing an app for Windows phone now will do you wonders! Lastly forgetting all this do it for the license payers who are very vocally asking you on this page for it.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 27)
Comment number 28.
At 14th Jun 2012, Henders wrote:Just a quick note. When watching the Italy/Croatia game on my iPad it crashed at approx 86 mins (I'd been watching from roughly 75 mins) then again as it cut back to the studio.
Also 'full screen' does go full screen, it still shows the tabs in the Safari browser. Don't know if this is an iPad issue or your end.
Just thought I'd give you some feedback, keep up the good work.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 28)
Comment number 29.
At 14th Jun 2012, chad5k1 wrote:Windows phone please!!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 29)
Comment number 30.
At 14th Jun 2012, maffj wrote:One more for Windows phone please.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 30)
Comment number 31.
At 14th Jun 2012, Hugh wrote:Windows phone please! Pleasantly surprised to see how much demand there is for it.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 31)
Comment number 32.
At 14th Jun 2012, bluesays wrote:Windows phone support please. Could you also explain why you've targeted only 2 platforms instead of creating a responsive html5 solution?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 32)
Comment number 33.
At 14th Jun 2012, SpeedyG2012 wrote:I'd like the add support to a certain platform too. Which one you say? You'll have to guess. ;)
(Ok its WP7, better get it out of the way lol.) Good to see the demand is there, just need to get Microsoft and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ talking more so that the MS guys can cook up a solution so we're not left in the dark.
BTW, what forum do you Windows phones guys hang out? Bring back 606! :sob
Complain about this comment (Comment number 33)
Comment number 34.
At 14th Jun 2012, Open4D wrote:Steve Pearce, okay so the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s new mobile-optimized sport website uses a plugin - so Microsoft might have significant justification for not supporting it.
I think we would both agree it would be nice to have a standardized video format for HTML, with no plugins needed. And why didn't we have this 3 years ago? (Why indeed is the whole IT industry 15 years behind where it should be?) Answers: 1 - software patents (which Microsoft supports and ruthlessly exploits) and 2 - Microsoft's business practices generally.
Now that Microsoft is having to actually compete properly in a market (the smartphone market), and is not doing so well, and is on the receiving end of some of the unfortunate business decisions that favour the products that are most successful in that market (decisions that Microsoft aggressively sought through monopolistic practices in the past, when it was in their favour), I am not going to shed any tears for them.
As I said above, at least the licence fee is not being used to actively support a monopoly (as has been the case in the past with Windows desktop).
Complain about this comment (Comment number 34)
Comment number 35.
At 15th Jun 2012, TOCA2FREAK wrote:Please can we have a version for Windows Mobile phones?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 35)
Comment number 36.
At 15th Jun 2012, Jumping Spleen wrote:BLACKBERRY!!!
Don't you care?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 36)
Comment number 37.
At 15th Jun 2012, Edward wrote:Well Ive been to the BBc Sports page ????? How do you watch the match I am unable to see anything that links to the match for tonight.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 37)
Comment number 38.
At 15th Jun 2012, Jeggy wrote:Windows phone support please! Yes I have seen all the other requests but nothing in reply. I'm new to this so do comments ever get responded to?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 38)
Comment number 39.
At 15th Jun 2012, mrkennie wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 39)
Comment number 40.
At 15th Jun 2012, Crimblepud wrote:I reckon we'll never see support for Windows Phone 7 (I am a WP7 device owner), but what I really would like to know is why oh why the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are not embracing HTML5 support for video - sign my petition here to request that they start using HTML5...
Complain about this comment (Comment number 40)
Comment number 41.
At 15th Jun 2012, tpl89 wrote:Wow, I can't believe there are so many Windows phone users.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 41)
Comment number 42.
At 15th Jun 2012, luciemclean wrote:Thanks for all your comments and feedback. To pick up on the key themes: I’m afraid I can’t go into specifics around Windows (#1, #3, #5 etc), but I can give some context. There are a wide range of mobile handsets available and these different models make use of a variety of technologies. As you’ve noted, there are also a number of mobile operating systems in the market, however not all of these are able to support our video streams. Where there is a reasonable level of demand for access to these services, we are working with platform owners and manufacturers to find solutions, and we therefore hope to extend our reach to these additional platforms in future.
@Mike (#21):
Just to confirm the situation on Android - you do have to have Flash and OS 2.2 or above to be able to watch the video.
@Edward (#37) and anyone else who wants to watch the England match tonight: Coverage starts at 6.45pm on the main website and the mobile site - look for the video links then.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 42)
Comment number 43.
At 15th Jun 2012, dre wrote:Windows Phone support please!! ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ needs to follow Sky, CNN and not rely on Flash.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 43)
Comment number 44.
At 15th Jun 2012, Crimblepud wrote:luciemclean - can you at least give us an insight as to why the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are continuing with Flash when it is no longer supported, rather than utilizing HTML5? At least with HTML5 users will be able to view content via web pages on any browser on almost all modern mobile devices.
How do you intend on continuing support for Android, for example, when (sooner rather than later) OS updates will mean Flash for Android will no longer work?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 44)
Comment number 45.
At 15th Jun 2012, mrkennie wrote:I would love to see HTML5 support but it won't happen.
As most, if not all of the video content on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is protected in one way or another, HTML5 will never be used and if it was it would depend on some horribly restrictive codec that supports DRM and only supports a limited number of platforms. Personally, as much as I hate it, I would rather put up with Flash right now. The popularity of the iDevices clearly warrants dedicated support for it.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 45)
Comment number 46.
At 15th Jun 2012, peck_ed wrote:Windows Phone please!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 46)
Comment number 47.
At 15th Jun 2012, c03105780 wrote:Windows Phone support please!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 47)
Comment number 48.
At 15th Jun 2012, c03105780 wrote:p.s. support for video playback on Windows Phone devices is possible, as Windows Phone uses the same video technologies and standards as iOS (iPhone, iPad) since both are unable to support Flash.
sources:
Complain about this comment (Comment number 48)
Comment number 49.
At 16th Jun 2012, Mark wrote:Are we still getting the ps3 ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ sport app before Wimbledon begins?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 49)
Comment number 50.
At 16th Jun 2012, Levi Freeman wrote:Windows phone support. And an Olympic app, and a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ I player app please.
Also xbox smartglass when it's available. That is something that works across devices & platforms, meaning you reach many people. In line with what the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is trying to achieve (it's not just Xbox to device, but from windows to devices so that would be a lot if users)
Complain about this comment (Comment number 50)
Comment number 51.
At 16th Jun 2012, Levi Freeman wrote:In reply to Darren, the whole windows phones won't update to 8 is a rumour and an incorrect one. I hope people stop using it as fact. All will be revealed very soon. Just hang on.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 51)
Comment number 52.
At 17th Jun 2012, EggOnAStilt wrote:Windows phones please and for iPlayer
Complain about this comment (Comment number 52)
Comment number 53.
At 17th Jun 2012, bramptons wrote:sky have a live news feed on the windows phone platform and youtube videos are viewable, so it shouldn't be too hard for the beeb to do the same.
no to apps, yes to HTML5 for all platforms
Complain about this comment (Comment number 53)
Comment number 54.
At 17th Jun 2012, LiveSt wrote:c03105780 is right, video playback on Windows Phone devices is quite possible, as iPhones are very similar in this regard
ref:
Complain about this comment (Comment number 54)
Comment number 55.
At 19th Jun 2012, AndyD0 wrote:Just to expand on the previous Windows Phone and iPad comments;
On the main site I am able to play a lot of video clips on my iPad. However, when I try to play the same clips from my Windows Phone I am told I do not have Flash installed.
So, dear Auntie ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, please can you add the Internet Explorer for Windows Phone User-Agent string to your site and let all of us with Windows Phones have some fun!
Thanks
Complain about this comment (Comment number 55)
Comment number 56.
At 19th Jun 2012, hamishdipp wrote:Not a hope in hell of getting the support for windows.
Like it or not windows will never out sell android let alone Apple.
Their is just not enough demand for it.
You only have google the sales figures to see that.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 56)
Comment number 57.
At 23rd Jun 2012, brasc0 wrote:Windows Phone support is desperately needed, surely you can't ignore us all forever?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 57)
Comment number 58.
At 29th Jun 2012, modilwar wrote:I definitely welcome that fact I can now watch videos on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ sports site. But why am I still required to use Flash on my computer?
Surely on iOS the videos are being servered at h264 HTML5, and as all modern browsers can handle HTML5 video this should now be the default format videos are servered on desktop browsers.
Every time Flash loads on my laptop the fans go mental, whereas when I watch HTML5 videos there is now such issue due to better hardware acceleration. Flash video needs to be killed and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should stop using such a dated proprietary format.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 58)
Comment number 59.
At 30th Jun 2012, Guv-nor wrote:How will this cope when Flash is no longer available for Android? New devices from mid-August will no longer be able to install Flash on Android.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 59)
Comment number 60.
At 2nd Jul 2012, Ian McDonald wrote:@Guv-nor,
Thanks for your comment. Leaving the same comment on multiple posts is against house rules (it's considered spam).
Your comment on-topic for this blog post, but I've removed the other ones.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 60)
Comment number 61.
At 6th Jul 2012, lufc_exile wrote:@luciemclean - what level of demand is considered 'reasonable'? your answer did seem a little disingenuous, yes there are a wide range of different handsets available and many of them do use different technologies but that's more a problem with android where there is a wide variation to potentially support, the point of windows phones is the tech is locked down and controlled so if it works for one WP7 device it should (in theory, hah!) work for all.
Even though it probably wouldn't take that much work to adapt the alternate video you have for apple to feed it to WP7 as well (it seems to support the same codecs the iphone does after all) I would fully understand if you were to say that due to the expected arrival of WP8 there is not a strong enough case to develop a feed for WP7 at this time. I wouldn't like it, but I'd understand it and would appreciate KNOWING one way or the other rather being left in limbo like this (although as a WP7 user I am distressingly used to corporate app people seeming to be unaware that there are actually more than two smartphone O/S on the market...)
Complain about this comment (Comment number 61)
Comment number 62.
At 4th Aug 2012, Woody1143 wrote:For anyone asking about Blackbery....where have you been this past yeat?...forget it. No one writes Apps for BBs and its game over for RIM.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 62)
Comment number 63.
At 5th Aug 2012, Pete wrote:and now with the launch of Android Jelly Bean, another new platform needs HTML5 video support as you cannot install Flash anymore.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 63)