ESPN Shuts Down ESPN Mobile. Not Surprised.

I’m not an industry pundit and, for the most part, I really don’t follow the mobile market at all. I don’t like to use my cell phone as a phone let alone play games, listen to Coldplay, download ringtones, take photos, text message my buddies, watch the latest episode of The Amazing Race, check my stocks, manage my calendar, keep a to-do list or check on the score of the Twins game. And apparently the people that were using (or not using) ESPN Mobile and the fancy black ESPN phone don’t either.

Or at least they won’t anymore. ESPN has said they are shutting the service down at the end of the year. People who actually bought a phone will get a refund. Although, I think most people were given phones in giveaways. Not sure if they’ll need to give those back or not.

ESPN is claiming there is an interested party in picking up the service and continuing it, but I doubt that is true. I just think people aren’t really that interested in using phones for anything other than phones. Sure, people claim they are and why wouldn’t they. If somebody asked me if I would like a phone that dispensed money like an ATM of course I’d say yes. I’d probably never use it, but sure that sounds neat.

Most average people will probably tell you that they want to watch Katie Couric give them the latest news on their phone, but most of them will probably watch it once and quickly realize that wherever they actually are at the moment is far more interesting than watching a tiny talking head on a screen. If I go to the zoo, am I going to be more interested in the penguins or catching that episode of Scrubs that I missed last night?

Hopefully, this causes at least a little tremor in the mobile space as I’ve gotten tired of endless announcements of the next great “insert whatever you want here” to show up on my mobile device. I don’t want it. I don’t think most people do. Those who think they do aren’t going to use it once they get it.

Of course, like I said, I’m not an industry pundit so what do I know?