So long, Xbox 360 -- or at least, some of the TV Everywhere apps available on the aging gaming console. Both Verizon and ESPN are pulling their apps from the device, and Verizon is targeting other devices as well for app removal.
Specifically, Verizon's FiOS TV will be unavailable on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One after March 31. WatchESPN, the authenticated TV Everywhere viewing service by ESPN, will disappear on Wednesday, March 23.
The move by ESPN leaves just the Xbox One as the sole gaming console on which WatchESPN is available, according to Deadspin. Of course, viewers can access the app on other types of streaming devices such as the Amazon Fire TV, or on mobile devices.
Meantime, Verizon's FiOS TV app is going away from both the 360 and Xbox One, as well as from Samsung smart TVs. The service provider told ars technica that the decision was made due to the "limited number of FiOS customers who were using the FiOS app on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One." The app only had a few channels available compared to the number of channels accessible on other devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The move by both ESPN and Verizon is interesting in light of the fact that gaming consoles are still very popular devices for streaming media, according to Parks Associates. The Xbox console outpaced Sony PlayStation as the most-used streaming device, in fact.
Watching that beloved Xbox 360 fade away may not be quite so painful, however: Microsoft has temporarily dropped the price of the Xbox One to $300, Kotaku reports, making the transition to the next-generation gaming console a little easier.
For more:
- see this ars technica article
- see this Deadspin article
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