The ESPN mobile app has been revamped to coincide with today’s debut of the ESPN DTC streaming service, which offers the sports network’s 12 program outlets together for the first time. The ESPN app has added a vertical feed of video shorts accessible through a “Verts” tab and the homepage carousel. The Verts feed includes game highlights and analytics as well as user-generated content. A vertically delivered “SportsCenter” called “SC for You” delivers daily updates personalized for favorite teams, leagues and sports, available on the app, ESPN.com and some smart TVs.

“Having built the largest TikTok account among U.S. companies, with more than 50 million followers, ESPN will bring all its vertical short-form video knowhow to its own app,” reports Sportico.

“We want this to be a fresh feed you can get lost in whenever you open the app,” ESPN SVP of Digital, Social and Streaming Content Kaitee Daley tells Sportico, which says Gen Z spends more than two hours per day watching social video.

The Verge explains “SC for You,” which debuts in beta today, “uses the AI-generated voices of ‘SportsCenter’ anchors.”

Sportico notes that the personalization filters are powered by a proprietary ESPN recommendation algorithm “initially built off fans’ favorited players and leagues, with help from Disney Entertainment and ESPN Chief Product & Technology Officer Adam Smith,” who joined the sports net in 2024 after 20-plus years at YouTube and Google.

Behind the scenes, AI will be generating a library of action, in real time. For those tuning into a game late, ESPN will offer “a series of highlights for select events to help you catch up to what’s happening,” offering the ability to restart or watch live, The Verge writes.

Viewers can also connect the ESPN mobile app to the ESPN TV app while watching a live game in order to have stats and automated alerts “sent to your phone, along with access to play-by-play updates, betting information, and ESPN Fantasy,” The Verge says, noting the mobile app can also be used to control ESPN’s TV live stream.

Sports Video Group News delves into the engineering that went into packaging these advanced features, including “Multiview.” Fans will have access to “two games side by side, three games on screen, or the familiar four-box that will deliver various Multiview experiences,” for simultaneous live events.

“ESPN DTC and the enhanced ESPN app will be a powerful combination designed to deliver a more personalized and dynamic viewing experience to fans on mobile and connected TV devices,” ESPN says in an announcement that includes a teaser video and price options ($30 per month or $300 per year), with additional content info also available.

Related:
ESPN Is Hiring Creators. It Will Feature Them on an In-App, TikTok-Style Feed, Tubefilter, 8/19/25
ESPN Taps John Cena to Boost Launch of New Streaming Service, Features, Variety, 8/11/25
‘A Defining Moment’: Jimmy Pitaro on ESPN’s New Era of Sports Streaming, Disney, 8/20/25
ESPN Signs Katie Feeney as Sports and Lifestyle Content Creator, ESPN, 8/5/25
ESPN DTC and FOX One Merging into Mega Package This Fall, ETCentric, 8/12/25
ESPN Announces Its New Streaming App Will Launch This Fall, ETCentric, 5/16/25