‘What You Need to Know’ coming to Disney+ as first ABC News original

ABC News and Disney+ have announced the launch of “What You Need to Know,” a new weekday news show that will premiere Monday, July 21, exclusively on Disney+. The short-form series is ABC News’ first original daily news program produced specifically for the Disney+ platform.

Anchored by James Longman, chief international correspondent, and Rachel Scott, senior political correspondent, the program will present weekday episodes at 6 a.m. Eastern time. Each episode will remain available on demand for 24 hours.

The series will deliver top news headlines, entertainment coverage and trending videos in a condensed format.

It joins existing ABC News programming on Disney+, including “Good Morning America: First Look,” “Prime with Linsey Davis,” “World News Tonight with David Muir” and ABC News Live streaming coverage.

“This new effort expands ABC News’ significant footprint on Disney+, allowing us to reach and connect with new and diverse audiences on the platform,” said Almin Karamehmedovic, president of ABC News.

Alisa Bowen, president of Disney+, said the series “is reimagining what a news experience can look like for Disney+ subscribers — delivering smart, bite-sized commentary on the stories that matter most.”

“What You Need to Know” shares its title with a previous ABC News program, “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” which first aired in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally launched as “GMA Day” in 2018, the program was renamed “Pandemic: What You Need to Know” before adopting the “GMA3” title, commonly abbreviated as “WYNTK.”

The new Disney+ series is not officially branded as part of the “Good Morning America” franchise, but both anchors have appeared frequently on “GMA” and “GMA3.” The early-morning release time suggests a format aligned with lighter, start-of-day news coverage.

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“GMA3” is currently operating with a rotating lineup of substitute anchors drawn from the broader “Good Morning America” team. 

The network began phasing out the “What You Need to Know” branding from “GMA3” in 2025, including updates to graphics packages. However, the phrase continues to appear in on-air scripts.

ESPN also recently launched a Disney+ original with “Vibe Check.”