Press Release

April 3, 2020

Media relations
Fonda Berosini
Disney Entertainment, Networks
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ABC News Live and ABC Owned TV Stations Launch New Apps on Streaming Platforms

America’s No. 1 Streaming News Service, Launches on Fire TV and Android TV Platforms; Update Coming to Roku, Apple TV Apps

ABC Owned TV Stations Also Debuting Market-Specific Apps on Fire TV, Android TV, Roku and Apple TV

ABC News Live, America’s No. 1 streaming news service from ABC News, has launched new apps on the Android TV and Amazon Fire TV platforms, bringing 24/7 live breaking news, live events and original programming through a newly developed native app. Additionally, ABC Owned Television Stations are launching native streaming apps across Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV, bringing local newscasts and breaking news, top videos, weather and more. 

The launches come at a time when news programming is critical and engaging to millions of viewers around the country, and when local news serves a vital role in keeping our local communities informed of global events. In the past month, ABC News Live has seen a 150% year-over-year increase in monthly viewers, and with the need for information and updates about the coronavirus pandemic growing, weekly viewers in March jumped 103%. This March, ABC Owned TV Stations reached a record-high 77 million devises, and viewers watched more than 170 million minutes of news coverage. ABC owned stations have produced an aggregate average of 400 hours of live local coverage each week, primarily focused on the developments of COVID-19 across their communities.

ABC News Live
The new ABC News Live app on Android TV and Fire TV provides viewers with ABC News Special Reports and critical COVID-19 updates with shows including “Pandemic: What You Need to Know,” anchored by Amy Robach (weekdays, 4 p.m. ET), and “ABCNL Prime with Linsey Davis” (weeknights, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET). Featured programming also includes a growing slate of originaldocumentaries, such as “Guardians of the Amazon,” “The Bomber and Modern Baby,” and curated content from ABC News brands including “World News Tonight with David Muir,” “Good Morning America,” FiveThirtyEight and “Nightline.” This year, ABC News Live will ramp up to 18 hours of live, anchored news programs daily across all dayparts, breaking news coverage and all-new original documentaries.

With a new user interface, enhanced programming guide and breaking news push alerts, the ABC News Live app allows users to easily find live updates and coverage of global events, political, health, business, entertainment and lifestyle news content, and more. The launch on Android TV and Fire TV will be followed by updates to the ABC News apps on Roku and Apple TV in mid-April that will include a change to the ABC News Live branding on connected TV platforms, an updated user interface and more. ABC News Live can also be found on The Roku Channel, Hulu Live, Xumo, Sling TV, Facebook, Twitter, ABCNews.com, and the ABC News and ABC mobile apps.

ABC Owned Television
Eight ABC owned television stations will also each launch native streaming experiences for Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku in their respective markets, totaling 32 platform-native apps. Building on the commitment of ABC Owned Television Stations to serve their communities, the apps will elevate the local news experience for viewers in each market with the ability to watch the stations’ live linear newscasts, breaking news coverage, weather reports and Localish’s popular storytelling content, seamlessly in the streaming environment.

KABC-TV (Los Angeles) is the first to launch, with a new app now available on Android TV and major enhancements to its existing Fire TV app – including live streaming of all local newscasts and breaking news. KABC’s Apple TV and Roku apps will launch in early April, with native apps for the seven additional owned stations launching across connected TV platforms later this April.

The eight owned stations are WABC-TV (New York), KABC-TV (Los Angeles), WLS-TV (Chicago), WPVI-TV (Philadelphia), KGO-TV (San Francisco), KTRK-TV (Houston), WTVD-TV (Raleigh-Durham) and KFSN-TV (Fresno). 

Content from the ABC owned stations will also be available in ABC News Live to viewers in the local market. Users not in the local market will have the option to add content from one or more of eight stations to their ABC News Live experience in the app’s settings.

* Feb 2019 v. Feb 2020

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z2y7t1J8JXqJ-kmJ8bzC1uNWuVaX2CKp/view?usp=sharing

About ABC News
ABC News is responsible for all of The ABC Television Network’s news programming, including broadcast, digital and radio. ABC’s award-winning newscasts include “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight with David Muir,” “Nightline,” “20/20” and “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” ABC’s “The View” joined the news division in 2014; and in 2018, ABC News launched 24/7 streaming news channel ABC News Live and acquired renowned data journalism organization FiveThirtyEight. NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, provides live and packaged news, sports and weather reports as well as footage of news events to over 200 ABC affiliates and more than 30 domestic and international clients. More people get their news from ABC News than from any other source.

About ABC Owned Television Stations
The ABC Owned Television Stations includes WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KGO-TV San Francisco, KTRK-TV Houston, WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham and KFSN-TV Fresno. The eight owned stations reach 23% of all U.S. television households. The stations are consistently market leaders in multiplatform local news, collectively No. 1 in local news among Adults 25-54 for 11 consecutive broadcast seasons, and in overall digital audience, video consumption and social reach and engagement. In 2018, the Stations further expanded their content portfolio and reach with the launch of the digital-first national lifestyle brand Localish that in its first year produced over 700 pieces of digital video content, totaling more than 240 million video views.  The Localish brand will debut in 2020 as a broadcast channel to deliver locally sourced yet nationally relevant storytelling as long-form linear programming to more than 14 million viewers across America.