ABC News Originals Come to iTunes

In an unusual move, the Disney-ABC television group is offering originally-produced ABC News videos for sale via Apple's iTunes Music Store.

In an indication how serious the company is about getting its content out across a variety of platforms and channels, Disney-ABC Television announced today that it will be offering originally-produced videos from ABC News for sale via Apple’s iTunes Music Store—and unlike most video available via iTunes, these selections will be tailored specifically fo the iTunes audience. Videos will fall into three categories—The Day It Happened,Celebrity Flashback, and ABC News Specials—focussing on historic broadcasts of major events, exclusive interviews, and archived material. Like other video selections available via iTunes, videos will be available for $1.99 apiece.

“We are committed to making news available to our audience whenever they want it, however they want it, and we are always looking at new ways we can better educate, inform and empower customers on a variety of platforms,” said David Westin, ABC News president, in a statement. “We’ve had a tremendous response to our World News podcasts, and with this new iTunes offering, we continue to provide what content consumers want and have grown to expect from ABC News.”

The Day It Happened will feature video from important historical moments as seen through ABC reports and broadcasts, offering raw as-if-you-were-there accounts. Scheduled offerings include “Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy,” “President Nixon’s Resignation,” “Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana,” “Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster,” “The Fall of the Berlin Wall,” and the infamous, not-very-fast “OJ Simpson Car Chase.”

Celebrity Flashback will look at archived (and hopefully embarrassing) footage of currently-hot celebrities, including Hollywood legends like Grace Kelly and Steven Spielberg, along with entertainers like the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart. A great deal of this material has never been available since its first broadcast on ABC.

ABC News Specials will include in-depth segments from ABC News on a wide range of topics, “UFO: Seeing Is Believing,” “The Mystery of Pope Joan,” “Death and Life at 18,000 Feet,” “The Anatomy of “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The Reunion: Shaker Heights.”