As of 10amET this morning, ABC News is officially available on Apple TV.
The network’s Apple TV app offers a slew of features, including video on demand from signature shows like “Good Morning America” and “World News,” multiple livestreams of real-time news events, breaking news and in-depth topical content, original reports from ABC news talent special for Apple TV, local content from ABC News affiliates around the country, and more. The product is available to anyone who owns an Apple TV, with no registration required.
Lost Remote was on hand for a demo of the new product yesterday, which at launch, offers everything from coverage of the current chaos in Iraq, World Cup competition, a “This Week in History” series leveraging ABC’s 50-year-old archives, and multiple livestreams of news events happening domestically and globally.
“We’re really excited at the amount of live content we’re bringing to the ABC News on Apple TV experience,” Doug Vance, ABC News VP of Product Development, said. “As an Apple TV user, I think it’s something that I find somewhat lacking on Apple TV these days. Trying to find out what’s happening right now is somewhat challenging, and so we’re trying to meet that need.”
A signature aspect of that live content is a 24/7 livestream—which begins as an originally produced, eight-hour mix of live and on-demand clips and constantly updates as news happens—will offer a mixture of content. Users will see anchored and unanchored live events coming everywhere inside the White House briefing room to live breaking news updates exclusive for digital. At launch, the anchored portions of the livestream will come from ABC News digital anchors like Dan Kloeffler, and will include contributing reports coming from ABC News correspondents like Martha Raddatz and Jonathan Karl. Correspondents like these will also create original reports for Apple TV not seen on ABC News broadcast.
And who is the audience for the new ABC News on Apple TV, a platform which, according to CEO Tim Cook, has sold 20 million units to date (launched in 2007).
“I think it’s for everyone,” SVP of ABC News Digital, Joe Ruffulo, said. “As we approach our product experiences, we’re looking for people want an ABC News brand experience every single moment of the day. That’s our mission in life here,” he said, adding in the example of the crisis in Iraq story to spotlight how ABC News Apple TV product empowers viewer to consume content whenever they want.
“If I want to watch something that’s on Iraq, and it’s not on television at the moment, I don’t have an experience that I can go to. And I think that’s why digital is so powerful…I think it’s for people who want to really control their news.”