Overview
- The live, coast-to-coast special begins at 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 3 and runs nonstop through July 4, kicking off with a Statue of Liberty light show, Brandi Carlile’s performance and a message from Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
- ABC News anchor David Muir will lead the daylong coverage as reporters file more than 60 live remotes that aim to present stories from all 50 states and personal segments from many anchors.
- Disney is simulcasting the event across ABC, ESPN, National Geographic, Freeform, FX and ABC News Live and streaming the full feed on Disney+ and Hulu, with guidance for cord-cutters to use free trials of live-TV services.
- The broadcast culminates in “Nashville’s Star‑Spangled Bash,” hosted by Ryan Seacrest, featuring a wide roster of performers and one of the largest coordinated fireworks and drone shows scored live by the Nashville Symphony.
- The special reflects more than a year of cross‑division planning inside Disney and includes park activations, sports and Nat Geo segments, a reach-first distribution strategy, and the potential to set a model for future large-scale multiplatform national events.