• by Masha Geller , March 12, 2003

It’s no secret America’s offices are full of people who spend their working hours surfing the web for one reason or another. It’s also no secret, thanks to some recent research done by eMarketer and the Wall Street Journal recently, that news sites are popular destinations with working surfers. It’s only natural that a news outlet like ABC News would try almost anything to attract the attention of this vast and attractive audience.

Walt Disney Co.'s ABCNEWS.com, which recently discovered that 68% of its visitors accessed the site with a broadband connection, yesterday launched ABC News Live, a 24-hour online service featuring streaming video news with a focus on breaking news and live events - the first ever service of its kind.

“With possible war on the horizon, a worldwide campaign against terror, and significant questions about the economy at home, Americans’ demand for news is particularly intense,” said David Westin, President, ABC News. “In a fast paced breaking news environment, we’re very pleased to be able to offer video news reports to our broadband users.”

Bernard Gershon, Senior VP and General Manager of ABCNEWS.com added, “At a time when more people are getting their news online during the day, it is critical that we make more content available to our audience.”

At launch ABC News Live will be available exclusively to subscribers of ABC News On Demand, as well as subscribers to RealOne SuperPass, RealNetworks news, sports, and entertainment media subscription service. Over the last 12 months ABCNEWS.com has seen the online video audience grow dramatically. With ABC News Live, these subscribers will be able to see a great deal more, from policy speeches from political leaders around the nation to briefings at the White House, Pentagon, and State Department, as well as replays of recent ABC News programs “World News Tonight,” “Nightline,” “Primetime,” “20/20,” and “Good Morning America,” plus archived news footage. In addition to the best of ABC News reporting, ABC News Live also provides the latest headlines, sports, weather, and business updates.

ABC News Live also introduces users to a “virtual control room” for special events. Internet viewers choose from watching up to four simultaneous feeds displayed in a unique “quad-screen” format. Live briefings, major headlines, and related reports from ABC News will accompany breaking news footage. Given multiple sources for information in one location, users decide what they want to watch and when.