Disney-ABC and Sprint: Together Forever

The Disney-ABC Television Group and Sprint just announced what appears to be a far-reaching, multi-year deal to distribute TV programming from the Disney Channel, ABC Entertainment, and ABC News to Sprint cellphones.

This is a big one, so we’ll break it down the best we can. In a nutshell, the deal allows for both on-demand and live, linear broadcasts (spaced out over three channels). Here are some of the benefits:

- For the first time, anyone with a compatible Sprint phone can watch full-length shows like Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, and Ugly Betty on demand.

- A new ABC Mobile channel will run episodes from all of the above shows throughout the day, as well as ABC News shows such as Good Morning America and World News with Charles Gibson.

- Two other linear channels, one called ABC News Now (though ABC has had live News programming on cellphones for a while now) and one with content from the Disney Channel, will also stream to Sprint phones.

Without geeking out too much, anyone with a Sprint Power Vision (not PCS Vision) phone will be able to sign up for all of this as part of the “Sprint Power Vision TV Pack,” which costs an extra $20 per month. There are lots of other channels included in that package as well. This is all streamed (not broadcast) mobile TV, so the quality isn’t amazing. But it’s still good enough to get your TV fix.

Sprint Digital Lounge [Sprint]

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