WatchESPN no longer works on Apple TV (3rd gen)

I have two 3rd-generation Apple TVs. Sometime in the past few weeks, the WatchESPN apps stopped working on BOTH devices: when I launch the app, I see the top menu and the message "communicating with ESPN" (or similar). It never gets past this point, ever. Same on both units. All other apps work fine (PBS, YouTube, Netflix, etc). On my iPhone and iPad, the WatchESPN apps work fine also. I tried restoring one of the units to factory settings; no joy.