ESPN adds SharePlay support for live sports and more

ESPN on iPhone (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

The ESPN app has added support for SharePlay.
SharePlay will work with live sports, ESPN+ content, and more.

ESPN has updated its iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV app to add support for SharePlay, allowing people to watch content with other people via FaceTime.

The update, which is available for download via the App Store, adds SharePlay support alongside the usual array of "bug fixes and optimizations." But it's the addition of the new FaceTime feature that will capture the attention of most with ESPN saying that live sports content will be supported by SharePlay alongside ESPN+ content and more.

Stream together with SharePlay - With SharePlay, you can stream select live sports, ESPN+ Originals, and more with friends and family on FaceTime. Try it out on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV (accessible on latest iOS, iPadOS, or tvOS 15.1 update).

SharePlay allows people to watch content and more while connected with friends and family via SharePlay and was introduced as part of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15, and macOS Monterey towards the end of last year.

Here's how Apple describes SharePlay in its own documentation.

SharePlay, a powerful set of features for shared experiences while on a FaceTime call, has introduced new ways for Apple users to stay connected. With SharePlay support in Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+ — as well as many of the most popular apps like NBA, TikTok, Twitch, Paramount+, and SHOWTIME — users can watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, or complete a workout with friends together on a FaceTime call. SharePlay extends to Apple TV so users can watch on the big screen while using FaceTime on iPhone or iPad. With screen sharing support, users can also browse the web together, look at photos, or show their friends something in a favorite app.

Those who already have the ESPN app installed will be able to download the update now. Everyone else can get it from the App Store as well.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.