Exclusive: ABC News doubles down on mobile

ABC News will announce on Tuesday three new digital video brands designed for mobile viewing leading up to the election, executives tell Axios.

Why it matters: "[W]e believe mobile is the most dominant device in people’s lives for everyday life, including to consume news," says Terry Hurlbutt, Vice President and Executive Editor, ABC News Digital.

• "The mobile space still feels largely in its infancy, so we need to continue to innovate and learn, but these new franchises highlight ABC News’ approach - smart, engaging video content designed for your device of choice."

Details: The three video brands will be available on ABCNews.com, the ABC News app, and across social media platforms and will feature on explainer videos on newsworthy topics leading up to November, like fact-checking what happened in Kenosha.

• Notified is a daily headlines show featuring the day’s biggest stories, releasing midday each weekday.
• Examined is a deep-diving, explainer franchise that explores the biggest news stories using ABC News’ vast network of journalists.
• Voices is an expansion of a brand that began during COVID-19, featuring character-driven, diary-style interviews paired with bold graphics and reporting that's produced for mobile viewing.

The big picture: "Anytime we grow reach and engagement, we are hopefully also growing video (ad) inventory opportunities," says Hurlbutt.

By the numbers: Hurlbutt says the number of average monthly mobile visitors in 2020 is up 70% against the average from 2019, and the number of average monthly video views in 2020 is up +37% against the average monthly video views from 2019.

Our thought bubble: There's a lot of mobile news video consumption on big tech platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok. Where news companies lose mobile viewers is often on their own proprietary channels, like their own apps and websites, because the content is generally not formatted and created for mobile.

What's next: ABC plans to continue these new franchises after 2020.