We all know “mobile first” is very much a real thing and that media companies need to integrate it into every aspect of their business model just to stay relevant in a cutthroat digital landscape. But with workhouse mobile platforms in place, TV companies seem to be having more fun with the platform.

As we head into The Conference 2014, where mobile will most certainly be a hot topic, Brief takes stock of the most intriguing apps released so far this year.

WWE
After years of bluster about creating its own network, World Wrestling Entertainment finally backed up its threat… though not with a traditional cable channel. Instead, WWE unveiled a 24/7 streaming TV app in February that works in web browsers, Android and iOS devices, and on TV boxes including Roku, PlayStation and Microsoft. The bold move paid off in less than two months, as a late-April report found almost 670,000 fans subscribing, for $9.99 a month, to WWE’s original, archived and pay-per-view content offerings – putting the app in the black.

Ken Burns App
In terms of style, it’s pretty much the polar opposite of pro wrestling, but the Ken Burns brand is no less powerful within its own, relatively small public television niche. The filmmaker’s sprawling, 12-hours-plus documentaries don’t seem particularly suited to a mobile device, and the filmmaker’s digital team didn’t try to make them otherwise while developing the new Ken Burns app that emerged in February. Instead, its makers filtered select clips from such epic films as “Baseball,” Jazz” and “National Parks” into hour-long “playlists” based on patterns recurring throughout Burns’ entire library, and history itself. For Burns fans, it wasn’t nearly as good as the real thing, but it was an innovative way of adapting seemingly un-adaptable content to the mobile space.

Moviefone
AOL’s movie-finding website had become at best irrelevant and at worst a subject of ridicule. But then, AOL revamped the decades-old service, dropping a shiny new Moviefone app this spring with a clever twist that made it instantly important again. Delving into the television space, Moviefone’s search function now lets users look for their favorite shows across the streaming realm, meaning cord-cutters finally have a comprehensive TV guide that makes it easier than ever to never pay for cable again. Missed out on “Mad Men” Season 4 but aren’t sure where you can watch it online? No need to look through all your disparate streaming sources until you find it – Mr. (or Ms.) Moviefone is back, and better than ever.

FXNow
FX is having trouble doing anything wrong at the moment – a phenomenon confirmed by the January launch of its new streaming app, FXNow. In addition to being a smooth, sleek mobile experience packed with FX’s typically stellar original content as well as several blockbuster films, the app has one unbeatable ace-in-the-sleeve: Come August, it will offer on-demand access to every episode of “The Simpsons,” ever. The deal for that streaming content went down last November for $750 million, an incredible sum that, come this summer, will look like a bargain – especially for a network now valued at $9.5 billion.

Manchester City App
The interactive marketing efforts behind European football tend to err on the side of awesome, as evidenced by Manchester City Football Club’s CityHome app released prior to February’s Champions League Round of 16 match vs. Barcelona. An innovative blend of sports content and tourism, CityHome courted not just Manchester City fans but rival fans as well, offering location-based dining, sightseeing, lodging and other information for travelers coming into the city to watch the game. Though it may seem sacrilege to help the opposing team’s fans, keeping those many thousands of visitors happy means return business for years to come, and with that a healthy rivalry in the live setting that only helps keep the sport exciting and profitable.

CNNx
When in doubt about your new app’s name, throw an “x” on at the end of it. It communicates youthful edginess and, in the case of CNN, works as a vague mathematical symbol expressing an exponential increase in quality. CNN’s brand was in need of a major freshening up, and while CNNx may not compensate for the network’s hectoring abuse of the 24-hour news cycle, it at least creates a different place to go, where viewers can escape incessant round-the-clock coverage of the disaster-of-the-moment and take back control of their news consumption. Letting users choose which news stories they want to see, CNNx’s interface allows smooth access to a rundown of recent programming, and the ability to preview or scroll back through desired segments. Meanwhile, related digital content gets automatically curated in real time – presenting supplemental articles, images, social commentary and more. Simply put, said CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker, “CNNx… allows the consumer to be the producer.”

Get more info on the latest in digital, design, promo and marketing at PromaxBDA’s The Conference, June 10-12 at the New York Hilton.

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