The Walt Disney Company has officially announced the availability of local ABC programming within its flagship Disney+ streaming service. In particular, these ABC News channels are accessible to paid subscribers across eight major US cities, and all eight are owned and operated by Disney itself.
“The 24/7 local news streams feature live, market-specific newscasts, breaking news, important weather updates and special community events and celebrations. The streams are available in the ABC News Hub and the Live Hub. Over time, subscribers located in one of the eight markets will also see their local-market station featured in other locations on Disney+,” says Disney in a press release.
The following eight US markets now have access to live and local ABC programming on Disney+:
- New York, New York (WABC-TV)
- Chicago, Illinois (WLS-TV)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (WPVI-TV)
- Los Angeles, California (KABC-TV)
- San Francisco, California (KGO-TV)
- Fresno, California (KFSN-TV)
- Houston, Texas (KTRK-TV)
- Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina (WTVD-TV)
- number of users
-
2-4
- Subscription with ads
-
$9.99/month
- Premium Subscription
-
$15.99/month
- # of profiles
-
6+
- Originals
-
Yes
- Live TV
-
No
Disney+ is an internet-based streaming service that provides access to a massive library of content spanning Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, and more.
The more Disney+ content, the merrier
ABC is a solid addition to the House of Mouse’s arsenal
When it comes to major streaming services like Disney+, which cost more than a pretty penny to subscribe to in this day and age, having more content on deck is always a net positive. Disney+ is already the main home for iconic intellectual properties spanning the likes of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and National Geographic, to say nothing of Disney’s animated classics and other content from its long and storied backlog.
With the rise of cost-cautious streaming alternatives like Tubi, Pluto TV, and DirecTV, more expensive content provider options like Disney+ are doubtlessly feeling the squeeze. ABC is a natural addition to the company’s arsenal of content, though it’s strange that these eight local channels have taken until now to appear, considering they’re owned and operated by Disney to begin with. In any case, I hope to see even more ABC stations hit the service in due time, as to offer options for paying subscribers located outside these specific US markets.
