This is kind of interesting. ABC, a TV network under the Walt Disney umbrella, is set to revolutionize its iPhone and iPad apps this week. Itâs going to be adding a new âLiveâ viewing option to the software, which will [obviously] play live programming.
The live stream will work anywhere in a local marketâ"as long as itâs supportedâ" the same way an old-fashioned antenna would. And according to The New York Times, this is the first time that a major broadcaster has turned on this kind of technologyâ¦
âInternally the project was code-named Project Acela, a reference to thehigh-speed trainbetween Boston and Washington. A team led by Albert Cheng, Ms. Sweeneyâs executive vice president for digital media, was given a deadline of May 14, the date of the ABC upfront. While Apple devices came first, other phones and tablets will be supported in the coming months, Mr. Cheng said. Securing the necessary rights from programming providers was laborious, but ABC will be able to stream all of its stationsâ local newscasts, syndicated talk shows like âKatie,â and national series like âGreyâs Anatomy.â
Donât confuse this functionality with that of other mobile apps. Weâre not just talking about on demand programming here. Weâre talking about live broadcasting of sporting events, news and reality showsâ"all the stuff you typically canât watch on mobile.
Just imagine the possibilities here. You could start watching a show like Good Morning America while still in bed. Then switch to your iPhone sitting in a speakerdock while youâre getting ready, and to your iPad for breakfast. All without missing a beat.
Unfortunately, due to licensing restrictions, youâll have to be a paying cable subscriber to activate the live-stream feature. And yes, thatâs a bit odd, because you can receive the broadcast for free with an antenna since it goes out over public airwaves.
Anyway, ABC plans to debut the new service at its upfront presentation for advertisers on Tuesday. Initially, it will only be available in New York and Philadelphia, but the network says that it just closed a major deal this weekend to add 13 markets.
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