By Disney
Report updated Apr 16, 2026
ABC13 Houston
For houston-area residents and individuals interested in local news, weather, and community-focused investigative reporting.
ABC13 Houston is an established news & magazines app that is completely free. With a 4.6/5 rating from 67.1K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate content quality, though playback and stability issues remains a common concern.
What is ABC13 Houston?
Current Momentum
v8.85
This release includes various bug fixes and improvements to continue providing a best-in-class news experience.
Active Nemesis
KPRC 2 Houston News
By Graham Media
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
News & MagazinesNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Continuous live broadcast of news and original programming directly within the app
Customizable news feed based on user-selected topics and locations
Access to specialized investigative journalism and true crime series
Real-time push notifications for weather conditions and traffic incidents
Allows users to watch live streams or video clips while using other apps
How much does it cost?
- Free to download and use
The app is entirely ad-supported, serving as a brand extension for Disney/ABC to drive audience engagement and loyalty rather than direct subscription revenue.
Who Built It?
Disney
Extending global entertainment franchises into daily digital habits through streaming, live sports, and interactive park utilities.
Portfolio
13
Apps
Who is Disney?
Disney operates a vertically integrated digital ecosystem that prioritizes platform lock-in over standalone app performance. Their strategy centers on 'service hubs' that serve as the primary digital interface for their physical assets and media networks. The portfolio's primary moat is the ability to bundle disparate content streams into a unified consumer offering, creating a cross-vertical advantage that pure-play digital competitors cannot easily replicate.
Who is Disney for?
- Families
- Franchise enthusiasts
- Sports fans seeking integrated entertainment
- Utility experiences
Portfolio momentum
Maintains a high update volume with 129 releases in 6 months, focusing development on a core set of 43 active service hubs while 40 titles remain in maintenance or abandoned states.
What other apps does Disney make?
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 67.1K total reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate content quality and convenience, but report playback and stability issues and chromecast and screen functionality.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What is the competitive landscape for ABC13 Houston?
How's The News & Magazines Market?
How does it evolve in the News & Magazines market?
| Country | Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 US | News & Magazines | AndroidFree | #112 | ▲4 |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | News & Magazines | AndroidFree | #130 | NEW |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
KPRC 2 Houston News
Graham Media Group
The most direct rival in the Houston market, offering a near-identical feature set including 24/7 live streaming, severe weather alerts, and investigative reporting.
Head-to-head analysis pending — refresh this report for a detailed comparison.
Contenders
Everlit Text-to-Audio
Puzzmo Integration
Hyper-local News Aggregation
Community Safety Map
Daily Reading Rewards
AI-Summarized Articles
CW39 Houston
★4.0 (187)Nexstar Broadcasting
🚀Local Houston affiliate providing alternative news and weather coverage with a focus on community and lifestyle content.
Peers
24-Hour Future Radar
Personalized Health & Wellness Insights
Personalized Study Plan
Community Score Comparison
Address-Verified Neighborhood Network
Public Agency & News Integration
AccuWeather: Weather Radar
AccuWeather
Directly competes with ABC13's interactive Doppler maps and localized hourly forecasts.
New Kids on the Block
Axios
Mina D. Makar
The 'Axios Houston' local newsletter and app presence represent a modern, concise threat to traditional long-form local news apps.
Ground News
★4.7 (40.8K)Snapwise Inc.
⚡Rising news aggregator that allows users to compare how different local and national outlets cover the same story, appealing to news-savvy users.
The outtake for ABC13 Houston
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Strong brand backing from Disney/ABC
- Unique investigative and true crime content
- Robust 24/7 live streaming capabilities
- Large established user base in the Houston market
Critical Frictions
- Significant technical instability and frequent crashes
- Poor video playback management (screen timeouts)
- Broken Chromecast and external display functionality
- Declining user sentiment following recent updates
Growth Levers
- Capture market share from KPRC 2 by offering a more stable technical experience
- Develop concise news formats to compete with Axios Houston
- Enhance hyper-local notification granularity
Market Threats
- Local news aggregators (NewsBreak, SmartNews) siphoning traffic
- Real-time safety apps (Citizen) providing faster incident alerts
- Platform-level news integration on iOS and Android
Key Takeaways
ABC13 Houston is an established news & magazines app that is completely free. With a 4.6/5 rating from 67.1K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate content quality, though playback and stability issues remains a common concern.
Where Is It Heading?
Mixed Signals
The report reflects a strategic pivot toward formalizing the competitive landscape and emphasizing investigative content, though the product remains in a 'mixed' state due to persistent, unresolved technical stability issues.