Disney+ adding ABC News Live feed, playlists feature

Disney+ is adding an integrated feed of ABC News Live to its offering in September 2024, ahead of the election later in the year, as well as a new playlist feature.

It’s perhaps a bit surprising that ABC News Live has been integrated with Disney+ yet, given the two companies share a parent. 

Hulu, on the other hand, has featured ABC News Live alongside other news-focused content in a separate “news” tab for some time.

It’s not clear if ABC News Live will be available permanently or if this is just being done until after the election.

In addition to ABC News Live, Disney+ will also introduce curated playlists that are designed to give subscribers a “lean-back” viewing experience, according to Disney.

The streamer will start with a kids list and then plans to add a seasonal option, “Epic Stories” with content from Disney, Marvel and Star Wars franchises, among others. “Real Life” will focus on documentaries, biopics and true storytelling while “Throwbacks” will be centered on nostalgic pop culture. 

Disney says it will refresh the content in each playlist every month. It’s not clear if these will play in a set order or if Disney will use viewers’ past viewing habits to prioritize certain content.

Both new features were announced the same day Disney announced streaming price hikes slated for Oct. 17, 2024, on almost all of its plans and bundles.

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While Disney appears to be trying to spin the addition of ABC News Live and playlists as a value-orientated proposition, it’s not exactly the strongest argument. 

ABC News Live has also been free for anyone (including non-Disney+ subscribers); so it’s essentially just a convenience-oriented update for Disney+ subscribers. 

The playlists feature is also simply a way to organize existing content and make it easier for subscribers to remain glued to their screens without having to life the remote. 

Like most streamers, Disney+ already has features in place that encourage users to watch more content once a film or episode wraps up, typically powered by its recommendation engine, though it does often require a few clicks on the remote.

The playlist feature could also make it easier for Disney+ to show more advertising to ad-supporter plan subscribers, since it will make the entire experience more sticky and encourage consuming more content.

It’s also worth noting that playlists, at least with how they are being described pre-launch, could raise concerns with boosting screen time with children since caretakers may see it as a way to easily keep a child occupied for extended periods of time with little to no intervention. 

The more seamless movement between content (as opposed to forcing a user to select a recommended title) could also increase screen time for all users and there is evidence that increased exposure to video content and phone and tablet screens can have negative affects on physical or mental health.