ABC News completes migration to 400,000 square foot IP-based facility
ABC News has migrated its operations to a new 400,000 sq ft facility in Manhattan, featuring a standardized production architecture built on SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based media fabric. The project, designed with Diversified Systems, implements a virtual desktop infrastructure across 11 control rooms and 70 edit suites to support Disney's broadcast subsidiaries.
Key Takeaways
- Production architecture centers on the SMPTE ST 2110 standard, including AES67 for audio interoperability.
- The facility features a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) using thin clients and centralized server pools to allow operators to access systems from any position.
- Studio infrastructure includes three 6,500 sq ft audience-rated studios and four medium studios ranging from 2,500 to 3,500 sq ft.
- Flagship program Good Morning America completed its migration to the new site in summer 2025, marking the end of its 26-year run in Times Square.
Why It Matters
The migration represents a massive shift from legacy SDI hardware to a software-defined IP fabric, enabling Disney to consolidate geographically scattered units into a single resilient campus. By pooling technical resources through VDI and standardized interfaces, ABC News reduces operational overhead and eliminates the underutilization seen at its former Lincoln Square site. For the broader industry, this successful large-scale deployment of ST 2110 serves as a production benchmark for low-latency, high-bandwidth IP workflows. Watch for Disney to further leverage this unified infrastructure to centralize remote production capabilities across its global sports and news portfolios.
Additional Context
The transition to 7 Hudson Square, also known as the Robert A. Iger Building, marks the culmination of a multi-year real estate strategy initiated in 2018. Per NewscastStudio, Disney originally sold its historic Upper West Side campus near Lincoln Square to Silverstein Properties for approximately $1.2 billion to fund the development of the new downtown headquarters. The deal included a five-year lease-back agreement, allowing ABC and other subsidiaries to maintain operations while the 22-story, 1.2 million-square-foot facility was constructed on land leased from Trinity Church Wall Street.
The relocation of flagship show Good Morning America in June 2025 signaled the definitive end of Disney's production presence at 1500 Broadway. According to Variety and NewscastStudio reporting from June 2025, the show joined other high-profile Disney productions like The View and Tamron Hall, which moved into the new facility earlier in the academic cycle. This consolidation effort was intended to improve cross-functional collaboration while reducing the redundant costs associated with maintaining auxiliary production spaces across Manhattan.
Designed by architecture firm SOM, the building incorporates extensive soundproofing and structural vibration isolation to accommodate its proximity to major subway lines, per reports from Structure Tone in 2025. The technical design led by Mike J. Strein was optimized for long-term flexibility, utilizing thin clients to ensure that production teams can transition between shows or support remote work without hardware reconfiguration. As of mid-2025, the facility serves as a primary hub for Disney’s East Coast news, sports, and streaming operations, integrating ABC News, ESPN, and WABC-TV under a single technical management framework.
Read full article at tvbeurope.com
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