ABC News launches on Apple TV with live and local content

ABC News is launching an online video programming service via Apple TV.

The Apple TV app features both live news content as well as video clips from ABC News shows such as “World News Tonight� and “Good Morning America.� Users will also have access to ABC’s news archives.

Users of ABC News on Apple TV will not need a pay-TV subscription to access the platform.

This differs from Disney’s other apps for Apple TV, which include WatchESPN for sports and Watch ABC for entertainment and news programming. Both of those apps require a pay-TV subscription.

The creation of a news app on Apple TV for non-cable or satellite subscribers is part of an effort to reach younger consumers, many of whom go online for news in lieu of traditional broadcast and cable news outlets.

“We are delighted to deliver ABC News to a whole new and growing audience,� said James Goldston, president of ABC News, in a statement.

CBS is also exploring creating a so-called over-the-top streaming news service.

The ABC News Apple TV app features four separate live video streams, allowing users to alternate between coverage of events such as White House press conferences and breaking news reports.

On the local side, the app delivers news updates and video highlights from nine major-market ABC TV stations, including KABC in Los Angeles and WABC in New York. The offering also includes 50 years’ worth of historical footage from the ABC News archives.

“Our goal is to put our users in control of their news,� said Joe Ruffolo, senior vice president of ABC News Digital.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant has long-established ties with the Burbank entertainment colossus. In 2011, Disney’s chief executive Robert Iger was named to Apple’s board of directors following the death of Steve Jobs. Disney was the first major studio to sign on when Apple started providing video content through iTunes.

The ABC News app isn’t yet available for devices such as Roku and Google’s Chromecast, which compete with Apple TV.

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter: @rfaughnder