Roku Adds Live Disney and ESPN Content

As Americans begin to abandon cable TV providers in favor of streaming services, and those streaming services being to gain a foothold in the living room environment, content providers are aiming to distribute to the widest variety of services possible. Set-top box manufacturer Roku added new live broadcast programming to its selection in the form of WatchESPN and WatchDisney channels.  These networks are available widely to tens of millions of digital cable subscribers, and represent an effort on the part of content providers to accommodate varying user tastes to ensure they aren’t left behind by rapid developments in how people choose to consume media.

WatchESPN Updates Live Toolbar

One of the original streaming apps, WatchESPN, vastly improved its service today, through an update that includes a major face lift and real-time stats, scores, and on-demand clips via a live toolbar. The app provides access to live streams from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, and ESPN Goal Line/Buzzer Beater, and now the toolbar gives access to clips across all of these channels, without the user having to navigate away from the live stream they’re watching. This means that users can turn the second screen – the iPad or other streaming device – entirely into the first stream for most sports entertainment.