ABC News will bring back the 24-hour digital news channel with which it experimented last year, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
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The newspaper said ABC executives promised that ABC News Now would be a more comprehensive multimedia service that would deliver customized news for TV, Internet and cell phone users. The network said Monday it was in talks with cable and satellite TV providers to carry ABC News Now.
The service aired on about 70 of ABC's affiliates' digital stations from last July through January, mainly to supplement the network's election coverage. The news channel is still provided over broadband and wireless devices.
According to The Times, ABC hopes to make the service available in July to cable and satellite TV subscribers -- along with 50 hours each month of video-on-demand programming and customized local news.
ABC, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., does not have a cable news partner. ABC News President David Westin told reporters at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's annual conference the network expects the service to broaden its audience.
"I see this as the next generation beyond the traditional, basic cable linear channel," said Westin.