EA Mobile unveils sports service

Game-maker Electronic Arts Inc. announced it will offer a new sports service, and that the offering will be first available through AT&T Inc.’s Cingular Wireless. The company’s new EA Sports Link will offer the latest sports and gaming news, and will also serve as a storefront for sales of EA Mobile’s content.
“Sports fans hunger for sports info, stats and news 24/7. With EA Sports Links, these fans are always just one button away from their favorite team’s scores, updates, news and games. By creating a singular, feature-packed destination for digital sports content, this groundbreaking service is going to change the way people experience sports and mobile sports content,” EA Mobile COO Michael Marchetti said.
EA Sports Link is composed of two components: catalog content and RSS news reader. The catalog will feature device-specific EA Sports material including games, ringtones, alert tones and wallpapers, while the RSS news reader will deliver updates on the latest sports and gaming news, which subscribers can choose to receive hourly, daily or weekly.
The service, which is now live on the Cingular network, will begin rolling out to other North American carriers over the coming months, EA Mobile said.
Electronic Arts makes a number of popular sports games for gaming consoles including the PlayStation and the Xbox. EA bought its way into wireless with the $680 million acquisition early last year of mobile game-maker Jamdat Mobile Inc.
The offering is notable since it goes up against a variety of other sports-focused services in wireless, most notably sports channel ESPN, which has engaged in a number of wireless pursuits over the years.