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Hulu adds ABC News Live and CBSN to its live TV package
Hulu is adding three more news channels to its live TV package, albeit streaming networks you can watch elsewhere for free. ABC News Live, CBSN and startup network Cheddar are all joining the service.
Roku is getting free live news, starting with ABC
If there's one thing streaming video watchers love, it's free stuff. So it wasn't a huge surprise to see Roku launch a free ad-supported movie channel of its own last year. Now, it's adding news coverage to that selection, starting with ABC News Live, a 24/7 online offering and an offering that can compete with CBS' own online-only news channel. And on top of that, there will also be live streams from Cheddar, People TV and Newsy. Sure, it may seem like what's old is new again, but it's a smart move for Roku, since it makes its streaming platform much more useful for consumers. And more importantly, it gives them one more reason to stick around.
ABC News is the latest to put original videos in your social stream
Media companies are scrambling to figure out how exactly to best utilize the different social networks, and many have taken to producing original content for them. Bloomberg, for example, is building an exclusive 24-hour news channel for Twitter. ABC News is the latest to explore this phenomenon: It's teamed with digital video company ATTN to produce original video for distribution through ABC News' social media accounts.
ABC News lets you watch multiple streams on your Apple TV
We live in an era where there's so much breaking news, most of it terrible, that there's simply not enough time for our brains to cope. ABC News agrees, which is why it's updated its Apple TV app to let you stream multiple channels at once. As TechCrunch reports, the app lets you pick from a dozen different feeds, letting you watch two side-by-side or, if you're really hardcore, four at once.
Facebook and ABC team up for live DNC and RNC coverage
Your options for livestreaming the Democratic and Republican national conventions just got even wider. ABC and Facebook are partnering on 24-hour live online coverage of both the DNC and RNC, whether it's speeches on the floor or protests outside. And importantly, this isn't just reusing TV programming onilne -- there will be in-depth coverage that wouldn't be practical in conventional broadcasting. Your comments and questions on Facebook will also influence the coverage.
ABC's 'Good Morning America' takes you on a live VR safari
If you're a fan of ABC's morning show, the network is offering viewers a rather unique take on remote reporting this week. From 7:00 AM to 9:00 ET tomorrow (February 23rd), Good Morning America will broadcast live in 360-degree VR from the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. ABC News' Amy Robach will be on location as the network captures footage from the Great Migration which includes the largest concentration of Africa's big mammals each February. Robach's report on the dangers the animals face from poachers will be presented alongside the immersive visuals. In fact, ABC says this is the first time on network television that VR cameras and gear will allow viewers to pick their adventure live and in real time.
ABC News introduces VR initiative with 360-degree tour of Syria
ABC News is experimenting with immersive journalism. On last night's episode of their news program, Nightline, viewers had the option to watch an accompanying 360-degree video piece on their mobile phones or computers. The in-depth story, by reporter Alexander Marquardt, took viewers on a virtual journey through Damascus, Syria, where curators are struggling to protect the country's antiquities from destruction. The network collaborated with Jaunt VR, a California-based studio that creates live-action virtual reality experiences, to produce the video that was shot on a special 16-camera device.
Facebook now has its own 60-second newscast from ABC
In a hurry and can't wait around for the nightly news? Well, Facebook and ABC are teaming up to fix that. As ABC tells it, Facecast: The One Thing is the first daily newscast made for social media and hosted by an evening news anchor. That anchor, of course, is none other than the network's David Muir. Each episode is 60 seconds long and you can catch it on the World News Tonight Facebook page (naturally). ABC promises it'll deliver breaking news, economic stories and sports using video, photos and infographics. You know, like a typical newscast, but condensed and targeted, perhaps unsurprisingly, at mobile users. What's on the debut episode? Talk of the new Star Wars trailer, the Saint Louis Rams' "hands up" pose and a few other topics as well. We've embedded the post below in case you're curious -- it'll only take a minute.
Apple TV gets ABC News, PBS Kids and a brand new Flickr app
You'd think that the steady stream of new Apple TV content would have slowed to a trickle by now, but nope -- far from it. Apple has just delivered a handful of fresh channels that include the free ABC News service (not to be confused with the authentication-based WatchABC), PBS Kids and the cricket-focused Willow TV. Flickr's app has also received a long, long overdue revamp (shown below) with a densely packed Explore section, an elaborate personal page and improved search. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the new AOL On channel -- yes, you can now watch Engadget videos and other clips from our corporate overlords. Whatever content tickles your fancy, you just have to wake up your Apple TV to check it out.
ABC's Nightline looks at AAPL
After a botched Maps launch and limited supplies of its flagship iPhone 5, Apple's stock has sunk to a five-month low, and the company has lost almost US$130B in market value since September. A piece on ABC's Nightline profiles this drop in Apple's stock and offers its take on why AAPL is not as hot as it used to be. It's a short clip that brings up Samsung, Microsoft and a lack of innovation from the folks in Cupertino. You can check out the video below and sound off in the comments about ABC's report and the state of Apple's stock. [Via MacRumors]
Nightline uses Find My iPad to sting sticky-fingered TSA officer
Oops! It seems the folks at ABC News set up a little sting with TSA agents and wayward iPads. Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well for the agent (warning: auto-play video at that link). The iPad, however, survived both the abduction and the "generous" pat-down. The news show Nightline intentionally abandoned an iPad at an Orlando, Fla., checkpoint (among others). They then used Apple's Find My iPad app to track its movements once it had been recovered. Unfortunately, it traveled to a TSA agent's home, where it remained for two weeks until a camera crew and reporter arrived to retrieve it from a much chagrined employee. This was just one story from an investigation that had Nightline leave 10 iPads at security checkpoints in major airports across the US. The full story will air on Nightline this evening.
ABC News on new MacBook Pro: "The one to own"
Reviews of the Retina MacBook Pro are starting to roll out. Earlier this week, Engadget and others released their reviews, and, now, Joanna Stern of ABC News shares her thoughts on Apple's next generation laptop. Not surprisingly, the review emphasizes the display - both the improved clarity of on-screen elements and the better viewing angle which lets you look at the screen from the side without sacrificing quality. The review also points out the impressive battery life, which lasts a little over five hours during a non-stop HD video playback test. If you're in the market for a high-end laptop, ABC News ends by saying "this is the one to buy." You can read the full review on ABC News website. If you haven't read the reviews from other online publications, then check out this post from Philip Elmer-Dewitt of Apple 2.0 which summarizes and links to eight reviews.
ABC's Nightline goes inside Foxconn's Apple factory (video)
Nightline's Bill Weir managed to get his feet inside manufacturing behemoth Foxconn: the infamous plant where iPads, Xboxes and Kindles are constructed. Following multiple explosions and employee suicides, the factory is being inspected by the Fair Labor Association to examine working conditions exposed by the efforts of journalists like Liu Zhiyi. In the show, we learn that on a quiet day, 3,000 prospective employees will linger outside the factory in the hope of earning just $1.78 an hour. Weir himself manages to coax the concession from company advisor Louis Woo that the multiple tragedies were a belated catalyst for change in the company's working conditions. The full special will air on ABC tomorrow but we've got a sneak peek for you after the break.
iPad apps: video for the well-rounded couch potato
We totally would have had this roundup done earlier, but we were just way too busy watching TV on our iPads. Let's face it, as fun as those social networking and gaming applications are (sorry, utility apps -- no fun for you!) sometimes you just want to sit back, rest those fingers and soak in some drama. The iPad's 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768-resolution screen certainly looks nice when reading books and browsing the web, but you haven't seen anything until you get some HD content playing. Though we may never get over the fact that we can't watch Flash video in the browser, the following apps are just what the doctor ordered to ease the pain and turn Apple's tablet into a portable media viewing machine. What are you waiting for? Hop on past the break already, and then kindly let us know if you've come up with a good way to prop up the iPad so you can watch all that video goodness while laying down.
ABC moves top technical exec to NYC for HDTV news production
Look for a new focus on HD in ABC's national news coverage, as its moving top technical executive Jeff Corwin from D.C. to New York City and work on HDTV production there. Nightline and other programs should be in sweet 720p before long, not to mention plenty of upcoming campaign coverage. That said, it's not that we have anything against New York City (Git a rope), but why not upgrade the studios in D.C.? Even ESPN is opening a West Coast branch.[Image courtesy of richardmasoner]
ABC News wants your Virtual Console questions
ABC News' "Be Seen Be Heard" is preparing a segment about the Wii, in which they'll be interviewing Amber McCollum, a product tester at Nintendo. In a very lazy Web 2.0 move, they're asking viewers to send in videos containing questions for Ms. McCollum. So if you have any questions about the Virtual Console, please send them in! And if you happen to accidentally, you know, say the name of the site, we wouldn't object.We personally want to know about the development process: are the games basically dumped ROMS or do they have to be reprogrammed for the Wii? If so, why? These are the best questions we can think of, because repeating "RONDO OF BLOOD" over and over again while staring intensely into a camera isn't a question.What kind of questions do you have about the VC?[Via Game|Life]
ABC News shows added to iTunes Music Store
Another Tuesday passes and more content has been added to the iTunes Music Store. Today ABC News joins the iTMS with Celebrity Flashback (which consists of old interviews with megastars such as the Rolling Stones), The Day It Happened, and various specials. They all follow the standard iTunes pricing of $1.99 per video with varying prices when you buy all of the episodes at once.[via iLounge]
