Allen Media Group said it made a deal to launch its Local Now streaming platform on LG Electronics’ smart TVs.

Users of LG Channels will be able to watch local free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels in 223 markets.

The channels feature news 24 hours a day powered by the Local Now newsroom, a nationwide roster of strategic news partners and proprietary news technology that generates 500,000 video stories per day. 

“We are very proud of this partnership with LG, which has launched all of our Local Now FAST channels to millions of viewers,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. “Local Now is the largest local news streamer in the country and our vast footprint of channels powered by proprietary technology and journalism delivers unmatched quality local news and entertainment in every market throughout America.”

LG Channels offers live and on-demand programming including movies, TV shows, news, sports, children’s programs and more. 

WarnerMedia has fixed yet another long-festering distribution problem for HBO Max, securing support for the HBO Max app on LG Electronics' webOS-powered smart TVs in the U.S. 

South Korea's LG Electronics was the fourth biggest supplier of smart TVs to the U.S. in 2020, according to German research conglomerate Statista, controlling around 12% of the market. WebOS is the operating system that controls LG's internet-connected TVs.

According to a WarnerMedia press release, the HBO Max app is now supported by  LG OLED TVs, LG QNED Mini LED TVs and LG NanoCell TVs (model years 2018-2021) via webOS 4.0 and higher.

The U.S. agreement comes after LG began supporting HBO Max on internet-connected TVs in select markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

The deal also arrives after WarnerMedia broke a three-year-old impasse with Dish Network, restoring access to HBO Max, HBO linear channels and Cinemax to subscribers of the Dish satellite TV service. 

WarnerMedia reported 2.8 million subscriber additions for HBO linear and HBO Max in the second quarter, reaching 47 million customers in the region overall. 

Korea’s LG Electronics, the No. 4 seller of smart TVs to the U.S., controlling around 12% of the market, announced Monday a major upgrade to the operating system controlling those sets. 

Version 6.0 of webOS will power LG’s OLED, QNED Mini LED, NanoCell and UHD smart TVs. The software will be paired with an upgrade to the remote control packaged with these sets, dubbed Magic Remote. 

The previous iteration of webOS featured a simple shortcuts bar with apps, HDMI destinations and other key data on the bottom of the screen, letting users see the programming as they worked the OS. Users could select, say, a specific streaming app from the shortcuts bar, and another row of data would appear, highlighting what was on that service.

For webOS 6.0, the software now has a full, dedicated home screen, like most other OS platforms--a homogenization notably lamented by a reviewer for The Verge, who preferred the simplicity of the previous iteration. 

Also read: Roku Touts North American Smart TV Supremacy Over Samsung

Programming recommendations sit above a horizontal row of favorite apps. Other horizontally configured lists, such as live TV picks, unfurl below the apps list. 

"The new home screen provides faster access to the most frequently used apps and streamlines content discovery with the ability to receive recommendations based on the user’s preferences and viewing history,” LG said in its announcement. 

WebOS 6.0 will support voice commands for both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. 

The new Magic Remote, meanwhile, includes dedicated buttons for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and LG’s curated channel. 

“The latest version of our user-friendly open TV platform webOS 6.0 represents the most significant update since we first introduced webOS in 2014,” said Park Hyoung-sei, president of LG Home Entertainment, in a statement. “With the new edition of webOS, LG is demonstrating its commitment of offering services, products and technologies that respond to the needs and wants of our valued customers.”

Smart TV set maker LG Electronics has acquired a controlling stake in data and analytics company Alphonso for $80 million.

LG said it plans to create an ad platform for its TV using Alphonso software and services, including linear and over-the-top analytics, ad targeting, media planning and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Other TV set makers, including Samsung and Vizio, already have ad businesses. 

Alphonso will continue to operate as an independent business under its current brand and leadership based in Silicon Valley.

“Our investment in Alphonso is a key component of our digital transformation strategy focusing on AI, big data and cloud to fundamentally change how consumers interact with their devices,” said Park Hyoung-sei, president of the LG Home Entertainment Co. “With Alphonso’s TV data analysis capabilities, LG will be able to provide even more customized services and content to consumers and we are proud to welcome Alphonso to the LG family.” 

Alphonso said it last raised money in 2017, which it got $5.6 million in funding led by Manifest Investment Partners.

“LG and Alphonso have a shared vision for advancing the smart TV ecosystem through innovative software and services oriented toward modern new consumer experiences on one end, and highly flexible, lucrative advertising, planning, and measurement offerings for brands, agencies, and broadcasters on the other,” said Ashish Chordia, founder and CEO of Alphonso. “Becoming part of LG Electronics gives Alphonso the backing of one of the world’s leaders in home entertainment products, with access to a massive global inventory of connected TV screens. We can now maximize our mutual impact on the TV marketplace as we bring our products together and deliver immense value for the ecosystem.”

Showtime said it’s the first cable network to launch an app on LG Electronics smart TVs that run webOS.

The launch, which includes access on LG’s new 2018 OLED TVs and Super UHD TVs with AI ThinQ built-in, spans both Showtime’s standalone OTT service (called SHOWTIME and sold for $10.99 per month) as well as Showtime Anytime, its authenticated TV Everywhere service that is part of a pay TV subscription.

Showtime said its standalone OTT service, launched in July 2015, has well over 2 million subscribers.

The app launch on LG smart TVs expands on Showtime’s streaming reach on other platforms that include Samsung smart TVs, Roku, Apple and Amazon devices, and the Xbox One console. Showtime is also distributed by vMVPDs and digital partners such as Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, fuboTV and Amazon Channels.

YouTube TV used Twitter to announce that the OTT TV service has launched apps for select smart TVs from LG Electronics and Samsung.

YouTube TV has yet to outline all the specific detail, but it did point out in the tweets that, with respect to Samsung, that the service is available on 2016 and 2017 models. According to YouTube TV’s device support page, 2016 and 2017 models from LG also support the service.

That page also notes that YouTube TV will becoming available on Sony Linux-based TVs.

After starting on smartphones, tablets and web browsers, YouTube TV recently adds apps for several TV-connected platforms, including certain Android TV devices, and Xbox One consoles. YouTube TV also supports TVs with Chromecast built-in.

RELATED: YouTube TV Set to Connect With Android TV, Xbox One, Apple TV Devices

YouTube TV also has work underway to launch apps for Apple TV (complementing support for AirPlay) and the Xbox One X.

LG said its webOS-powered 2017 OLED Super UHD smart TV models have stitched in support for Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT TV service.

Those 2017 models are powered by webOS 3.5, the latest version of LG’s smart TV platform.

LG made Sling TV available on its 2016 smart TV models earlier this year. Sling TV also supports Apple TV (4th generation), Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV devices, the Chromecast streaming adapter, AirTV Player, Channel Master DVRs, the Xbox One, Web browsers, and iOS and Android mobile devices.

RELATED: LG Buys HP's WebOS for Smart TVs

LG also announced that its Channel Plus app has surpassed 100 OTT-delivered channels. That lineup includes Bloomberg Politics, Funny or Die, Baeble Music, PBS Digital Studios, Family Feud, the People/Entertainment Weekly Network, Cheddar and Tastemade, among others.

Channels Plus, a free, ad-supported service powered by Xumo, is offered on 2016 and 2017 LG models running webOS 3.0 and 3.5. In addition to SVOD streaming, Channels Plus also allows users to integrate and present over-the-air broadcast channels.

RELATED: LG Tunes In 'Channels Plus'

LG Electronics USA is nearing the launch of  Channel Plus, a streaming service powered by Xumo that offers a menu of live and on-demand content on the TV-maker’s 2016 lineup of webOS-based smart televisions.

Channel Plus, coming to LG TVs with webOS 3.0, will feature free, ad-supported digital content from partners such as Time, PBS Digital Studios, Wired, Saveur, Cooking Light, GQ and Sports Illustrated, along with channels from BuzzFeed, Mashable, Reuters, FailArmy and Funny or Die. LG said High-quality international channels are also available free of charge for users with international tastes.

Channel Plus, available starting this month with a software update on 2016 LG smart TVs, will offer nearly 50 channels at launch, including some international channels. A channel from the new PeopleEntertainment Network from Time Inc. is slated to launch later this year.

LG said “channels” on the new OTT service look like traditional TV channels and surf them without having to launch them like a separate app.

“By delivering premium Internet content seamlessly with broadcast channels together in the same channel lineup, LG aims to make it easier than ever for consumers to find and enjoy the content they want to watch in one centralized place – whether it’s streaming or broadcast,” David VanderWaal, VP of marketing at LG Electronics, said in statement.

Xumo, an aggregator of ad-based OTT fare, also has integrations with Vizio, Panasonic and Funai Electric, which makes Sanyo-, Magnavox- and Philips-branded TVs in North America. It recently launched a mobile app for iOS, with a version for Android on deck.

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You apparently won’t be able to swing a cat at next week’s INTX show in Boston without hitting an LG-made 4K TV.

LG Electronics said it has signed on as “Official Ultra HDTV Partner” at the annual confab put on by The National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

LG said dozens of its UHD sets – in 75-, 65- and 43-inch class screen sizes, are being installed at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The TV maker said the NCTA selected LG’s new Energy Star-certified UH6550 series and LG Signature G6 OLED 4K TVs for use at INTX.

The show’s “Disrupted Reality” and “It’s All TV” zones, for example, will feature  the 65UH6550 and 43UH6550 models, while its 75-inch class 4K Ultra HD TVs (model 75UH6550)  will flank the stage at Imagine Park.

Roku has bulked up its integrated TV strategy, albeit temporarily for the holiday buying season, with integrations on two HD models from LG Electronics being sold at Best Buy – a 55-inch model that’s on sale for $549.99, and a 65-inch version that runs $999.

But this work between Roku and LG isn't part of a long-term deal, at least not yet. Those models are available via a “limited-time promotion with Best Buy,” according to CNET, which first reported on the new LG-Roku combos.

Still, the connection with LG broadens Roku’s overall integrated TV strategy.  Roku, which recently introduced a 4K-capable streaming player (the Roku 4) also has TV deals with Haier America, Sharp, TCL, Hisense and Insignia, which is Best Buy’s in-house brand.

LG, meanwhile, told CNET that the Roku partnership centers on “entry-level” series models and that its own webOS platform will continue to power its core smart TV lineup.

"As part of a limited-time promotion with Best Buy, LG is offering one entry-level series of TV with non-LG Smart TV technology this holiday season. While the Roku platform was chosen for this brief, cost-competitive promotion, LG's own webOS platform remains at the core of our extensive Smart TV lineup," the TV maker told CNET. 

Roku, meanwhile, expanded on its Black Friday deals. Starting tonight, it will offer discounts on the Roku Streaming Stick ($39.99); the Roku 3 ($79.99); and the recently announced Roku SE (special edition, $25). On the Roku TV end, it’s hawking a 32-inch TCL Roku TV for $125, and a 55-inch TCL model for $348. 

DirecTV 4K efforts got another lift this week when LG Electronics announced webOS upgrades that allow for Ultra HD streaming without the need for an extra box.

LG said its 2015 lineup with webOS 2.0 will provide online access to DirecTV Ready and DirecTV 4K Ready features. Select 2014 and 2015 LG Smart TVs will allow subscribers with a Genie HD DVR to get “a full HD DVR experience on each” LG set, the TV maker said.

The LG integration helps to expand DirecTV’s 4K activity, which got underway last November when it launched a limited library of Ultra HD content.

Last month, DirecTV introduced its first UHD-capable box, the 4K Genie Mini, which works in conjunction with the DirecTV Genie HD DVR (model HR34 and above). Pricing on the new device varies per customer, but the value of the 4K Genie Mini is $99.

DirecTV initially offered UHD fare by linking its Genie HD DVR to 4K TVs from Samsung. It also has plans to extend similar support to Sony-made 4K sets.

Among other U.S. providers, Comcast offers a s 4K streaming app for Samsung TVs, and is closing in on the launch of 4K-capable boxes for its X1 platform. Dish Network isnearing the debut of a 4K service that will run on a new UHD-capable Joey box.

Back to the free LG firmware update, it will also lock in new content partners such as iHeartRadio and Rdio.