Sportle's new app wants to be your streaming sports hub

The game is on, but how are you going to watch it? 

That's the main question that Sportle is looking to answer with its new app, which launches Wednesday.   

Headed by former Fox and NFL Network executive Adam Shaw and former head of product for MySpace Ali Tahmasbi, Sportle makes streaming major sporting events easy, even when they appear on different networks. 

Sportle, which is already available on desktop, connects users to streams from a variety of different sports, from popular offerings like baseball and basketball, to more specialized games, like table tennis and handball.  

The service also features "Fantastic Finishes," which alerts users of games that are going down to the wire.

The app is currently only available for iOS.

For now, you'll still need (someone's) cable login. Sportle's streams still come from whichever company owns the digital broadcast rights. There's also some free games that anybody will be able to watch. When users find something they wish to watch, Sportle will bring them to the official stream. Free games will be streamed in-app.  

Tahmasbi was inspired when he couldn't find a way to stream a game while abroad, forcing him to miss his team, the Los Angeles Kings, during their historic playoff run in 2014. 

"You go to Google to search for a stream, and the results are littered with illegal sites. Either the stream doesn't load or it's not watchable due to endless popups or unbearable lag. By the time you find a half-decent stream, the game is over" said Will Zhou, head of Marketing and Growth for Sportle. 

"If you opt for the official mobile stream, the problem is exacerbated by having to download the correct app in order to gain streaming access. Nobody wants to download the WatchESPN, FOX Sports GO, and CBS Sports apps only to find out the game is streaming in the Pac-12 app."

Sportle has been funded by two rounds of angel investing, led by Third Wave Digital. As the app is free to download, Sportle is looking to promotion of networks and leagues, affiliate commissions and integration of third party services to make money. 

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