ABC News Delivers Multistream iPad Experience for Republican and Democratic Conventions

Starting today, ABC News will update its ABC News App for the iPad with multistream coverage of both the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., and the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

The combo of live-streamed convention coverage combined with a Storify social media feed gives viewers unique opportunities to not only watch the news, but also to talk about it as it happens.

“As mobile has grown into a major platform for consuming news, we have noticed that users want the tablet to be the device where they both lean back and maintain control – a device that has the simplicity of a remote control but allows for the individualized navigation path of a web browser,” explained Doug Vance, ABC News’s VP of Strategy and Product Development.

ABC reports that the number of viewers who have accessed its mobile sites and mobile app has doubled over the past year. After an upgrade to its iPad app in June, usage increased by 57 percent.

“We are seeing great success with our new day parted iPad App, which assembles ABC News video based on the time of day for easy viewing,” said Joe Ruffolo, SVP of ABC News Digital. “The new live event experience extends our focus on video to special events like the political conventions.”

After a one-day delay caused by Hurricane Isaac, the GOP convention will get underway at 2:00 p.m. ET today. ABC will offer live, single-stream coverage of the opening plus an additional live feed at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Ann Romney’s speech will be the highlight of tonight’s convention lineup. Romney will also give an exclusive interview to ABC’s Diane Sawyer just a few hours before she stands in front of voters to persuade them to vote for Mitt Romney. Additionally, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will deliver the keynote address.

About 30 to 40 million people will view tonight’s convention coverage, according to Fox News.

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