No Stern? No sports? You can't be Sirius

Apple released its iPhone OS 3.0 software update Wednesday, and with it came the expected flurry of new and revamped applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. As usual, the new apps offer something for virtually everyone, but if you're a diehard sports fan, chances are you'll gravitate toward MLB.com's expanded version of its premium At Bat application, which adds live streaming video coverage to its existing slate of Major League Baseball audio broadcasts and scores. At Bat's streaming content is optimized for both WiFi and 3G networks--MLB.com tells The New York Times that its servers will detect the strength of the device's connection and adapt the quality of the video accordingly--and the app also boasts DVR features. For now At Bat will offer two handpicked live games each day, but MLB.com promises to roll out the entire slate of major league games as the season unfolds, eventually introducing premium fees to view some contests.

Satellite radio provider Sirius XM's long-awaited iPhone application, finally released Thursday, should have been another slam dunk for sports diehards, but the app features astoundingly little of the broadcaster's signature content. There's no Howard Stern Show, no MLB Play-by-Play, no NFL Play-by-Play and no Sirius NASCAR Radio--in other words, no truly compelling reason to download the Sirius app, unless you're content to settle for Oprah Radio, Opie & Anthony and Jimmy Buffett's Radio Margaritaville. The Sirius Internet Radio FAQ notes "Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to make all of Sports, News, and Entertainment channels available online at this time," and it seems like a safe bet that the restrictions extend to the iPhone app as well--far more perplexing is the absence of Stern, Sirius' marquee attraction, who has a five-year, $500 million exclusive contract with the radio network.

Of course, MLB already offers live game audio via At Bat, and Sprint's exclusive NFL Mobile Live application features live radio broadcasts of all National Football League matchups, so it's probably not too surprising that the Sirius iPhone app is stripped of its sports content--moreover, the pro leagues' decision to offer their broadcast content to wireless subscribers through their own branded apps instead of partners like Sirius underscores the mobile channel's growing value to their multimedia aspirations. More and more, traditional media is recognizing just how lucrative mobile can be: Last week, USA Today publisher David Hunke even admitted to the Associated Press that he regrets the decision to make the publication's iPhone news app available for free. "I'm not sure we realized what we had," Hunke said. "I think that's a value readers will be willing to pay for." Baseball and football realize exactly what they have--which is why the Sirius iPhone app doesn't have either one of them. -Jason