For any startup, the grind never stops.
In the uber-competitive sports media landscape, there’s always a story to tell. Publishers must keep up with the high demand for content by users each day. It’s no longer sufficient to solely host stories in a website. Mobile, undoubtedly, has shifted user consumption habits and reprioritize the platform in which publishers must offer content.
Just last year, it was estimated that Google Play would reach a million apps within its Android ecosystem by June, months ahead of Apple’s iOS. This milestone alone projects the volume and interest among developers to create. Even third-party Android mediums also pose potential to increase distribution for publishers. Google launched their own Flipboard-esque app, Google Newsstand, late last quarter with over 1,900 content sources, both free and paid entities. This experience funnels content inside the app, like Flipboard, and not to be confused with Apple’s version of Newsstand.
Still, FanSided aims to be the next big sports media network.
It was just a few weeks ago that they updated their iOS app. They understand the importance to personally develop their own mobile platforms. The mobile web iteration of the FanSided website doesn’t suffice by itself. Readers want a more personalized, mobile-intuitive experience that an app brings. The recent iOS upgrade proved to be the start of completely revamping their entire mobile presence as the New Year commenced.
Today, FanSided announces that their enhanced Android app is available in Google Play.
Similarly to the iOS app, Matt Blake, Partner and Chief Product Officer, informs to SportTechie that the “wow factor” is “absolutely” a fixture to this latest Android iteration. This update elevates the app to the same level as its iOS partner, and “in all facets.” The goal was for the UI and UX to be on par to iOS; so there isn’t a disparity difference between the two properties for users. By doing so, sustained growth across these mobile mediums is bound to occur.
“The feedback has been great. Our users really love the update; and it shows in the analytics, as our screens per session has gotten a nice bump,” says Blake with regards the early response they’ve received from FanSided’s iOS app.
Since that is the case, the look and feel that resembles the website has translated to iOS and now Android as well. The large images and bolded headlines are again prominently showcased. The overall smoothness and quickness from the iOS version carries over throughout this app, be it the home interface and other features, too. FanSided certainly upgraded the experience to mirror iOS’, while maintaining the general simplicity and fluidity of the app.
More on the technological end, Blake mentions that it wouldn’t have been prudent to release the iOS and Android app together. They wanted to ensure they gave themselves enough time to reevaluate any design or functionality deficiencies and fix them accordingly. This method made sense prior to a reconfigured overhaul in a new, Android ecosystem.
While the overarching functionality remains consistent, they changed the core menu UI, made it simpler to opt-out from push notifications, and easier to seamlessly alter topics. These improvements, at the end of the day, stems from establishing a better experience to the devoted user.
Blake, however, explains the difficulty to build an Android app that’s uniformly simple and functional: “The big issue with Android is that you are developing for a much wider range of devices and operating system versions. So, there are a lot more use cases to develop for and becomes more challenging than iOS in many ways.”
Again, Blake stresses how publishers can’t ignore either iOS or Android any more. He acknowledges the aforementioned growing rate of Android in the marketplace, which outpaces iOS. This concurrent trend has, indeed, manifested itself through them witnessing the same results in their Android app. In turn, Android happens to have a steeper growth curve than iOS for them as well.
When it comes to features, the configuration of the app, again, leads to compatibility between switching from Trending Stories, Nearby, and Favorites under just one tap. In turn, the granular, practical level of allowing users to select what teams is apparent. This aspect should be well-received by users as it has been on the early stages of their new iOS app already.
Blake didn’t hesitate to reiterate FanSided’s stance when compared to competitors’ Android apps: “Well, we don’t want to just be the go-to app for sports fans. We want to be the go-to source for fans, period. Bleacher Report and SB Nation both have tremendous sports offerings. What makes FanSided and our apps different, is that we cover entertainment and male lifestyle along with sports. Our users are able to tap into all of their interests in one great app; and that is what we are really proud of.”
FanSided should take in pride that they continually reflect their yeti mascot, Everest, as they push to new heights. This Android app is merely the latest example of their ongoing quest.
