I Just Need You NOW: Turner Sports Release New Mobile App Today

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Turner Sports today released SportsNOW, its new mobile application and one of their first branded consumer digital products. The iPhone application, carrying a charter sponsorship from Ram Truck, will include live scores, statistics and game recaps powered by Stats LLC across a variety of professional and college sports. The application will also carry a variety of alert and customizing functions, and social media capabilities to share information with others. The move does not impact Turner's core digital business of producing and distributing content for outside sports entities. But Turner Sports Exec VP & COO Lenny Daniels said, "We think there's a big opportunity to deliver a better fan experience where you get everything you need in that one-stop destination." He added there could be other such ventures under the Turner Sports brand. "This wasn't an application you could do with any one league, but this won't change anything we do with our league partners. That's still definitely a business model we believe in," Daniels said. The free mobile application for now is available only for the iPhone, but versions for the BlackBerry and Android platforms are under development. With the release, Turner also ventures into space currently occupied by ESPN, Sportacular, CBS Sports, and others. SportsNOW does not include any licensed video content, but Daniels said that also may be a step pursued later on.