AP Launches HD Entertainment News

The Associated Press today launched its high-definition AP Entertainment news service. This is the first phase of AP’s HD rollout timetable, which will see all news content available in HD by the second quarter of 2012. AP said the move to HD will give customers more choice in how they receive content, both in the traditional broadcast market and on digital platforms.

As part of its multimillion-dollar upgrade, the AP is transforming its video business by switching its entire newsgathering, production and distribution systems to HD, forming what it called “the largest rollout of HD by any news agency globally.”

AP Global Entertainment Editor Alicia Quarles said: “Delivering AP Entertainment in HD is a major milestone in AP’s video business upgrade. As the leading supplier of global entertainment news, we recognize the appetite in the entertainment industry for HD content — in today’s information-driven world, it is all about choice and getting the content you want, when, where and how you want it.”

AP Entertainment Daily News is a dedicated video service that provides exclusive coverage of celebrities, fashion, awards shows, film premieres, concerts and theater. This includes more than 300 stories per month. AP’s Celebrity Extra, Movies Now, Film File and Entertainment Now are also available to customers in HD.

As well as access to HD content, AP customers will benefit from a higher volume of entertainment stories on weekends — customers now have access to an extra 50 minutes’ worth of weekly entertainment video.

The launch of AP Entertainment in HD will be followed by sports news via its joint venture with Sports News Television (SNTV) on Jan. 16, 2012. The completion date for AP’s main breaking news service will be the second quarter of 2012 in time for the London Olympics in July and the U.S. presidential elections in November.