ABC News has launched "20/20 True Crime+", a paid subscription tier on Apple Podcasts aimed at dedicated true-crime listeners, offering ad-free access to "20/20" episodes and archives plus early releases and exclusive content. The move sees a major broadcaster following a wider industry trend of monetising loyal podcast audiences directly through platform subscriptions, timed to coincide with the debut of two new true-crime series.

The subscription, live from 28 July, costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a free seven-day trial, and includes perks such as subscriber Q&As with co-anchor Deborah Roberts. To mark the launch, ABC is releasing "Burden of Proof: Luigi Mangione", a five-part series hosted by legal analyst Brian Buckmire examining the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the case against Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty; it airs early for subscribers from 7 August, with a wider premiere on 10 August. Also launching is "What Happened to the McStays?", hosted by Ashan Singh, which revisits the 2010 disappearance of the McStay family in Southern California, a case that led investigators to a suspect in the Mojave Desert years later.