Verizon has go90. AT&T has DirecTV Now. T-Mobile had BingeOn. And now, Sprint has Sprint Spot, a new app that will let its customers listen, watch, and play all in one place.
According to a press release, Sprint Spot offers customers access to music, games, movies, and other video content. The content will come courtesy of partnerships with providers like Amazon Prime, among others.
The app will now come preloaded on all Sprint Android devices, and is available for free download in Google Play. An iOS version is on the way and will be “rolling out soon,” Sprint noted.
“As mobile adoption rates continue to climb, consumers will demand more and more high-quality, varied content, and carriers need to be ready,” Sprint’s Director of Product Development Mark Yarkosky commented. “We’re excited for our customers to access this new comprehensive, integrated experience with MobiTV.”
Sprint Spot will reportedly allow users to search for content across a variety of Sprint and third-party apps from a single platform to “discover, purchase, and play music, movies, games, and more.” The app, which is powered by MobiTV’s content delivery solutions, also comes with a recommendation engine to aid in content discovery. Additionally, MobiTV pointed out Sprint Spot will utilize carrier billing to allow users to purchase and manage all of their subscriptions from the app interface.
Sprint first started working with MobiTV in 2004.
“We’re proud to bring the next wave of mobile entertainment to Sprint’s customers across the nation,” MobiTV CEO Charlie Nooney said. “Our newest venture sets the new standard for high scale, superior quality of aggregated services. This is yet another great addition to the list of game-changing initiatives we’ve launched during our long-standing relationship with Sprint.”
The move is just the latest in Sprint’s shift to focus more on content as its rivals are doing the same.
The carrier in January announced plans to acquire a third of Jay Z’s music streaming service, Tidal, and last month offered a discount on Sling TV for customers who bundled it with their wireless service.
But while mobile content is hot, that’s no guarantee for the success of Sprint Spot. Verizon has notoriously struggled to grow its go90 mobile video app, and even AT&T’s DirecTV Now app faced an uphill battle after initial reports of app issues.