ESPN signed a deal with Major League Baseball Advanced Media to host the live streaming video for ESPN360.com when the service rebrands to ESPN3.com on April 4, at which point the site will drop the Move Networks video player and move to Adobe's Flash Media Server.
Financial terms of the deal between ESPN and MLBAM were not disclosed. With the switch, ESPN3.com will add new features including customizable widgets with scores, chats and schedules and also will offer more HD streaming of live events and additional viewing options via picture-in-picture and split screens.
"Our long-term collaboration with ESPN has been defined by a common thread to serve fans first and supporting the new ESPN3.com with our live streaming technology underscores our continued commitment to this goal," MLBAM president and CEO Bob Bowman said in a statement.
The new ESPN3.com name is intended to echo its two primary linear TV networks, ESPN and ESPN2.
The service is currently available to 50 million subscribers of Internet service providers including Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Insight Communications, RCN, Mediacom Communications and Frontier. ESPN distributes the service in a cable-like model, in which Internet providers pay a per-subscriber fee to provide access to the programming.
With the move to MLBAM, ESPN3.com's programming will remain the same; the site features some 3,500 live events per year ranging from soccer to college football.
