DETROIT-ESPN’s long-awaited mobile virtual network operator, Mobile ESPN, officially kicks off nationwide service Sunday during Super Bowl XL.
The service targets sports fans by providing access to information such as sports scores, statistics and breaking news, as well as personalized text message alerts, fantasy team management, and audio and video content. Mobile ESPN currently offers one handset, Sanyo’s MVP handset, but more are scheduled to launch this year.
Mobile ESPN will be available in Best Buy stores nationwide starting Sunday. Best Buy will be the exclusive “bricks and mortar” retailer for the service for two months following the launch. Mobile ESPN runs on Sprint Nextel Corp.’s CDMA network.
The MVNO has made some changes to its rate plans since launching in test markets in Texas, Minnesota and Nevada last November. A new base plan starts at $35 a month for 100 minutes, then jumps to $65 a month for 450 minutes; the highest-end plan costs $225 monthly for 4000 minutes. All plans include a free year of ESPN The Magazine, 35 MB of data access and 100 text messages; all plans except for the 100-minute plan include unlimited night and weekend calling.
The price of the carrier’s handset also has dropped from an initial $400 after a $100 rebate to $200 after rebate.
Rebecca Gertsmark, spokeswoman for ESPN, said the carrier’s changes in pricing “was sort of an evolution, and the bottom line is that we think we have it at the right place for the value that our service provides.”
