The U.S. military's global radio and television service, the American Forces Network, AFN, celebrates the one-year anniversary of its streaming television app, AFN Now. Launched on November 7, 2022, the app has proven popular with servicemembers, DoD families and civilians stationed overseas for its convenience and range of video-on-demand content.
"The effort that went into developing and launching AFN Now was tremendous," said Hal Pittman, Director of the Defense Media Activity. "That hard work has paid off for our military audiences around the world with greater convenience and access to the programs they love, on the platforms they use every day."
In October, the app set a new record, surpassing 50,000 hours of streamed content, and averaging over 10,000 hours streamed each week. AFN Now continues to gain approximately 100 new subscribers per day.
"The team behind the development and daily operation of AFN Now has a remarkable amount of passion and drive," says Kim Antos, AFN's Chief of Digital Platforms. "We are constantly expanding the content that we offer and innovating in ways to get it to the audience as quickly as we can. We have big plans as we move into our second year, and we are excited to expand our capabilities to showcase all the amazing content AFN has to offer."
In addition to providing military audiences convenient access to entertainment, news and information, AFN Now's streaming sports programming has been applauded as first-rate. Sports fans have access through the app to their favorite sports, including professional football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, and mixed martial arts. Most games are available on demand and convenient to the schedules of busy servicemembers. Continuing to innovate, AFN Now recently added six new sports "replay" channels. Now sports fans can watch on demand games from all the major sports leagues.
Antos notes that many great new features are in the works.
"We're working with the App stores on a lot of exciting new updates, to include push notifications, live channels, and DVIDS integration," says Antos. "We're also working with our industry partners for the continued expansion of our streaming rights. There's a lot to look forward to in coming year."
AFN Now joins the network's popular streaming radio app, AFN Go. Launched in April 2022, AFN Go quickly demonstrated a demand for modern mobile convenience. With 10 channels of streaming radio, ranging from contemporary, adult, and R&B, to classic rock, AFN Go offers music fans access to all the popular genres, as well as talk and news radio.
Director of AFN's Broadcast Center, Jim Alexander, says AFN's twin streaming apps continue to add to the network's storied legacy.
"We could not be prouder of the reception these new apps have had with our audiences," says Alexander. "AFN has been serving the U.S. military from World War Two to present - more than 80 years of providing troops around the world the very best in information and entertainment. AFN Now and AFN Go fit perfectly within that AFN tradition of service and broadcast excellence."
AFN audiences are encouraged to download both the AFN Now and AFN Go apps from the Google Play or Apple Appstore. The apps are available to service members, families, and retirees living overseas. They are available on Google and Apple devices, Amazon Fire, Roku, and select smart TVs with app functionality. Both are free to download and provide convenient access to top-rated entertainment, news, and sports programming.
Congratulations to the hardworking development team behind AFN Now on a great first year. AFN's motto, "We Bring You Home", lives on in its streaming apps and service excellence, and carries the network into the future.
