NEW YORK—ABC News has launched a redesigned ABC News mobile app that offers a number of new features and technological enhancements for improved live streaming, performance, navigation, and search.
The revamped ABC News app is built on Disney’s proprietary technology, product and design platforms that will improve speed and scalability, and offer increased flexibility for storytelling, the company said.
The use of those platforms will also speed up the introduction of new features by allowing the ABC News app to benefit from new feature and functionality development across the broader Disney digital portfolio.
“ABC News is the leader in news,” said Lulu Chiang, vice president of ABC News Digital Content. “We are excited the new updates to our signature digital app will deliver new ways showcase our world class journalism, take consumers deeper into our reporting, and add to the way that audiences watch and read everything from breaking news to our industry-leading election coverage and more.”
Key enhancements include: a new video player; picture in picture and “docking” capability; more seamless integration of ABC News Live; improved EPG and schedule; enhanced video technology and more.
The updated app also offers improved search functionality, introduces “dark mode” to the app for the first time, and provides topical categories to help with discovery of content.
The improvements will also give ABC News editors and reporters more flexibility in storytelling.
"This latest release is a key step in our strategy to advance our video storytelling on mobile devices,” said Nicole Breskin, vice president, news & entertainment product, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution. “Critically, the app will also provide new experiences around breaking news and live video to deliver key news coverage when people need it. Our refreshed app is built on our scalable foundation upon which we can innovate and bring ABC News to our audiences in novel ways.”
Ahead of the 2022 Mid-Term Elections, the updated ABC News app will also deliver updates to live, real-time voting result data.
In addition, election maps will have new design and interaction, and election coverage in the app will provide historical data for the first time – allowing users to examine results from previous election cycles, setting the scene for upcoming mid-term elections and looking ahead to the 2024 election cycle.
Consumers will also be able to take advantage of Exit Poll Filters, letting them examine data through the lenses of demographic information, location, education level and more to understand what decisions different types and sets of voters have made.
The newly redesigned primary app navigation offers one-tap access to “Watch”, “Explore”, “Listen”, “Search”, as well as an updated “My News” section.
Through easy-to-use personalization, the new ABC News app allows users one-tap access to easily add and change topical interests, and curates those personalized news interests in the “My News” section.
In “Listen” users have will also have access to an updated and improved library of ABC News’ award-winning audio content.
