New ABC News, ESPN apps in development

The iPad has "a lot of potential," claims Disney CEO Bob Iger. In talking about the device following a quarterly earnings conference, Iger notes that the company is already working on updated ABC News and ESPN Score Center apps, which will provide new ways of viewing content. The CEO argues however that the tablet could allow for "essentially new forms of content," since it has a high-quality display while being distinct from a TV or a normal desktop computer.

Disney is in fact said to have major plans for the iPad, ranging from games and other typical apps to comicbooks and interactive TV. The company controls a number of media outlets it may be able to exploit, such as ABC, ESPN, Pixar and Marvel Comics. As an example of what is possible, Iger proposes that ABC could produce a Lost app which would let people interact with the show and browse related information.

Involvement with the iPad is natural given the presence of Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, on the Disney board of directors. Disney content is regularly some of the first on any Apple hardware or service; ABC TV shows, for example, were some of the first videos available on the iTunes Store. Marvel comicbooks are expected to arrive in some form on the iPad, though how remains unannounced.

by MacNN Staff