An unprecedented live event to broadcast the rare 2024 total solar eclipse.
On Monday, April 8, at least 32 million people across America will find themselves in the path of a total solar eclipse, where the moon will completely block the sun in what will be the last of its kind in the U.S. until 2044. To celebrate this rare moment, ABC News and National Geographic announce the unparalleled event “Eclipse Across America,” airing live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+, and Hulu as well as network social media platforms. The special will be anchored by “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and “ABC News Live Prime” anchor Linsey Davis, who will be reporting live from Burlington, Vermont.
Nat Geo talent Mariana van Zeller (“Trafficked”) and Nat Geo Explorers photographer Cristina Mittermeier (“Photographer”), astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi, NASA data scientist Jennifer W. Lopez, and astrophysicists Jedidah Isler and Ved Chirayath will be on site to show viewers how to safely observe and photograph eclipses and break down the science and history behind them.
Spanning 10 cities across North America — from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Houlton, Maine — with each being in 100% totality of the eclipse, “Eclipse Across America” will broadcast from the following locations experiencing the phenomenon firsthand:
- Mazatlán, Mexico – Approximately 2:07-2:11 p.m. EDT with ABC News correspondent Matt Rivers
- Del Rio, Texas – Approximately 2:28-2:32 p.m. EDT with ABC News national correspondent Mireya Villarreal and van Zeller
- Dallas, Texas – Approximately 2:40-2:44 p.m. EDT with “GMA3” co-anchors DeMarco Morgan and ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton and a live check-in with Tafreshi at Frio Cave
- Russellville, Arkansas – Approximately 2:51-2:54 p.m. EDT with ABC News foreign correspondent Maggie Rulli with hundreds of couples saying “I do” at the “Total Eclipse of the Heart” mass wedding
- Carbondale, Illinois – Approximately 2:59-3:05 p.m. EDT with ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee and Isler at Southern Illinois University
- Indianapolis, Indiana – Approximately 3:06-3:09 p.m. EDT with “Good Morning America” weekend co-anchor Gio Benitez and Lopez at the Indy 500 Speedway
- Cleveland, Ohio – Approximately. 3:13-3:17 p.m. EDT with “Good Morning America” weekend co-anchor Whit Johnson at the Great Lakes Science Center
- Niagara Falls, New York – Approximately 3:18-3:22 p.m. EDT with ABC News meteorologist Rob Marciano and Mittermeier close to the Falls. ABC News multiplatform reporter Reena Roy will be reporting live from this location for ABC NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News
- Burlington, Vermont – Approximately 3:26-3:29 p.m. EDT with Muir and Davis at ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
- Houlton, Maine – Approximately 3:32-3:35 p.m. EDT, at one of the last communities in America to see the eclipse
“Eclipse Across America” will simulcast live from 2:00-4:00 p.m. EDT across multiple Disney linear networks, including ABC, Nat Geo, and Nat Geo WILD, as well as across direct-to-consumer platforms, including Disney+ and Hulu (via ABC News Live channel). Viewers will be able to watch the program from anywhere — TV, mobile, computers, and more — on ABC News’ 24/7 streaming channel, ABC News Live. The live event will also be simulcast on social on ABC News’ Facebook, YouTube channel, and TikTok, plus on Nat Geo’s Facebook. ABC News and Nat Geo will produce social-first content to be posted across all platforms during the eclipse. Audiences can use the hashtag #EclipseAcrossAmerica to post content to their own social feeds throughout the day, which may then be featured on air. Mittermeier will curate photos from National Geographic photographers and Explorers as well as from people across the path of the eclipse using the hashtag during the live broadcast.
“We are thrilled to partner with National Geographic on an unprecedented, multiplatform watch event for this highly anticipated natural phenomenon,” said Reena Mehta, SVP of Streaming and Digital Content for ABC News. “Bringing audiences together across multiple Disney platforms on all devices will ensure that no one misses a moment live or on demand.”
“This collaboration between Nat Geo and ABC is a dream come true. With Nat Geo’s 136-year expertise in factual storytelling combined with trusted anchors from the country’s leading news source, ABC News, this partnership is unmatched,” said Tom McDonald, EVP of Unscripted for National Geographic Content. “I can think of no better way to bring this thrilling event to audiences.”
In addition to the live simulcast across multiple Disney platforms, “GMA3” will air a special live preview with Morgan and Dr. Ashton on location in Dallas and with Eva Pilgrim from New York from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT. “World News Tonight with David Muir” and ABC New Live’s “Prime with Linsey Davis” will originate broadcasts from Burlington, Vermont. “Good Morning America” will get viewers ready for the eclipse with a preview of what’s to come, safety tips, the economic impact, and the unique ways people are marking the celestial event. “Nightline” will give context on the phenomenon from across the country and will showcase the best pictures of the eclipse taken throughout the day. ABC News Digital will feature robust coverage around the eclipse, including a live blog on ABCNews.com, reporting on how to watch and photograph the celestial event, and a multimedia project profiling the impact of the rare event. ABC News Radio correspondent Jim Ryan will file reports from the eclipse path in Texas. ABC News’ flagship daily podcast, “Start Here,” will include reporting and reactions from the ABC News correspondents in the eclipse path the following morning.
In honor of the eclipse, beginning April 1, National Geographic and Spotify will refresh the Official National Geographic Playlist to be centered around the eclipse for one week. Separately, Nat Geo experts will share tips for the best places to watch, how to safely photograph the eclipse, how witnessing one can change your perspective, and reporting on how it may change animal behavior on NatGeo.com.
