NOVEMBER 3, 2022 – The American Forces Network, AFN, marks its 80th Anniversary this year with the launch of its new streaming service, AFN Now, on November 7. The AFN Now app delivers top-rated AFN television programming to service members, families, and retirees living overseas, when and where they want it, on the devices they use every day. The Defense Media Activity (DMA) invites authorized audiences to sign up for the new video-on-demand and live streaming app right away.
DMA’s Director, Hal Pittman said, “The successful launch of the AFN Now app in the Pacific in September was AFN’s biggest technological transformation in the past three decades. Reaching our military audiences on the devices they use every day is key to Defense Media Activity’s approach to better serving our military members.”
The AFN Now app is free to download and provides audiences convenient, mobile access to their favorite entertainment, news, and sports programming. In advance of the launch, the app and registration portal are now open. Everyone is welcome to download the app and register now at https://afn-now.myafn.mil/.
Mike Drumheller, Director of AFN Broadcast Center said, “The worldwide release of AFN Now provides the American Forces Network another robust, forward-thinking media platform to serve the greatest audiences in the world and further enhance their quality of life.”
Karreem Lowe, Chief of Television at the AFN Broadcast Center in Riverside, California, led the content licensing efforts and said, “The AFN Now app is designed for easy access and convenience. Our audiences can now stream their favorite entertainment, news, and sports programming at the times and locations that best fit their lifestyles.”
The worldwide launch follows a month of successful testing in the Pacific theater where the AFN Now app received positive audience feedback. The new streaming service is the culmination of three years’ work with Verizon Media, who built the platform, and AFN’s negotiation efforts with more than 40 major program owners to get licensing approval to place their shows on the app.
The app enables AFN audiences to use the service on devices they use every day, including Apple iPhones, tablets and Apple TV, Android phones and tablets, and in-home digital media platforms Amazon Fire, Roku, and smart TVs with app functionality. In future development phases AFN plans to include Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles.
The app is only available to DOD-affiliated audience members outside of the United States, its territories, and its possessions. Everyone registering for the service must pass Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) verification before the app will work.
AFN Now builds on and continues the rich legacy of AFN and is its biggest technological leap since the network started satellite-delivered television in 1997. AFN Now advances DMA’s goals of providing audiences worldwide with the highest quality American programming and information.
DMA is the parent organization for military-produced media brands, including the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), Defense.gov, the military service websites and news services, publications like All Hands and Airman magazine, and AFN.