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. 

Local Now, Allen Media Group’s free streaming service, said it made a deal with Vice Media Group to add two Vice free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels to Local Now.

The two channels are Vice News, which brings viewers the Vice take on the news, and Vice FAST, programmed to tell stories that spark curiosity and challenge assumptions.

We are excited to add the Vice News and Vice FAST channels to Local Now,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. “With the addition of these Vice Media Group channels, Local Now viewers now have even more award-winning news, culture, food, sports and entertainment content.”

The two Vice channels will provide Local Now viewers with more than 200 hours of programming.

“We are delighted to partner with Byron Allen and his team at Local Now to bring our exceptional storytelling and youth-focused, award-winning content to their swiftly expanding platform and rapidly growing audiences,” Bea Hegedus, executive managing director of Vice Distribution, said. “Their vision for local news, sports and entertainment strongly aligns with Vice’s mission to inform, define culture and always be at the forefront of cultural change.”

Allen Media Group’s free streaming service Local Now said it added the Time Inc. free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel to its lineup.

Time launched the channel in October.

“Time  is thrilled to partner with Local Now to distribute our FAST channel,” said Time Digital GM Jeff Li. “Local Now’s strong focus on news provides Time’s trusted journalism an excellent platform to reach viewers who want to understand the people, events, and issues that impact the world.”

Local Now features more than 450 channels including a Local Now channel for every market in the country.

“We are excited to add the Time FAST channel to Local Now’s growing line-up of national news and entertainment channels,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Time is a phenomenal brand and a great addition to Local Now.”

Allen Media Group’s Local Now free streaming service said it made a deal with Gannett to add the USA Today and USA Today Sports channels to the Local Now lineup.

“The USA Today brand and channels are an excellent addition to our free-streaming service Local Now,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Local Now and USA Today both have a very strong commitment to delivering the best in news, sports, and entertainment to our consumers.”

The USA Today channel offers series such as Problem Solved, Humankind and Entertain This!

The USA Today Sports channel offers sports and news content including the weekly series Sports Seriously.

“Our partnership with Local Now delivers our essential news and sports coverage, and entertaining lifestyle series to audiences that are seeking out information from sources they know and trust,” said Caroline Harris, VP of Partnerships at Gannett. “We’re excited to be part of a line-up of high-quality channels on Local Now.”

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group said its Local Now free streaming platform has added 19 local and national free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels to its lineup.

The new channels are part of an expanded deal between Allen Media Group and NBCUniversal.

National channels added to Local Now include American Crimes, NBC LX Home and Telemundo al Dia.

Local Now adds local news channels from 10 markets including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It also adds four regional Telemundo news FAST channels covering California, Florida, Texas and the Northeast. A national news channel, Telemundo Noticias Ahora, will be added in a few months. 

Also Read: Allen Media’s Local Now Adds FAST Channels From CBS

“Local Now is the leader in free local news, and with the addition of the 11 NBC local news and four Telemundo FAST channels, we are now able to expand our local coverage even more,” Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, said “Strong partnerships like this one with NBCUniversal are what has fueled Local Now’s rapid growth and allowed us to deliver on our mission of providing our audience the best free streaming content available.” 

Local Now provides news, weather, sports, traffic and entertainment in more than 225 markets across the U.S. It offers more than 500 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country, as well as more than 20,000 movies, TV shows, and documentaries

“Local news, in English and Spanish, lifestyle programming and true crime are three genres that are increasingly important to viewers in the FAST space,” said Matt Schnaars, President, content distribution, NBCUniversal. “Powered by the expertise of the NBCUniversal News Group, these networks are a great compliment to Local Now’s content offering, bringing our multicultural audiences another outlet to be informed and entertained.”

Allen Media Group’s free-streaming service Local Now said it made a deal to launch 18 free ad-supported streaming television channels from Paramount Global’s CBS.

Local Now will be adding four national channels with CBS News Streaming, CBS Sports Golazo Network, Inside Edition and Dabl.

Local Now is also adding local news FST channels from CBS station in 14 market including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Also Read: Allen Media Group’s Local Now Adds 3 NBC News FAST Channels

“Local Now is the leading free streaming service for local news, so this partnership with CBS – a trusted local news source for millions of Americans – was an undeniable match,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “And with the addition of CBS News and CBS Sports Golazo Network, we’re simultaneously able to expand our entertainment content offering for our audience. We’re excited for what’s ahead with our great partners at CBS.”

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Bringing our FAST channels to Local Now represents the next step in accelerating the growth of our streaming business,” said Wendy McMahon, president and CEO, CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures.

“We’re seeing significant increases in the total minutes streamed on our platforms this year. Partnering with the Allen Media Group will help us expand our reach even further, and not just in local news, but also with our flagship CBS News national streaming channel, CBS Sports Golazo Network, Inside Edition and Dabl,” McMahon said.

 Allen Media Group’s Local Now said it make a deal with Banijay Rights to stream free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels based on some of Banijay’s reality, dating and game shows.

The channels are:

• Deal or No Deal U.S.: Powered by Banijay
• Fear Factor: Powered by Banijay
• The Biggest Loser: Powered by Banijay
• Wipeout Xtra: Powered by Banijay
• Love Quest: Powered by Banijay
• McLeod’s Daughters: Powered by Banijay

“Banijay Rights has some of the biggest and most popular shows in television and we are thrilled to bring Local Now viewers this terrific content like Deal or No Deal U.S. and Fear Factor,” Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Local Now parent company Allen Media Group, aid. “This partnership further expands Local Now’s premium entertainment and news offerings.”

Said Banijay Rights VP, digital Shaun Keeble: “As a leading global distributor, we have an unrelenting commitment to quality. So we’re thrilled to enter this partnership with Local Now as we continue to attract new viewers to some of the leading IPs in the Banijay catalog.”

Local Now provides localized news, weather, sports, traffic, and entertainment, produced by various leading news organizations, in more than 225 markets across the U.S. It offers more than 500 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country, as well as more than 20,000 movies, TV shows, and documentaries.

The Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and iOS devices.

Allen Media Group said its Local Now digital platform had added Washington Post Television to its channel lineup.

The channel, launched by The Washington Post in May, features breaking news, exclusive interviews and in-depth reporting.

“We at Allen Media Group are excited to add The Washington Post’s FAST channel to Local Now’s line-up,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. “As a leading free streaming service, Local Now is dedicated to providing people the very best of local, national, and international news from trusted media sources, and our new partnership with The Washington Post is another example of our dedication to keeping our viewers fully informed at all times.”

Local Now features local news, weather, sports and entertainment in more than 225 markets and over 500 free streaming channels.

“The Washington Post creates incredibly powerful visual journalism and I’m very excited about introducing it to new audiences on streaming platforms like Local Now, where viewers can dive deep into our storytelling,” Micah Gelman, director of video at The Washington Post, said.

The Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and IOS devices.

Allen Media Group said it is working with LiveRamp to make advertising inventory on The Weather Channel TV Streaming App and Local Now addressable.

LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution provides authenticated first-party connectivity to enable data-driven, programmatic targeting on people-based inventory. Marketer can reach addressable audiences in a privacy-safe manner. 

Working with LiveRamp also enables better measurement of impressions.

“Allen Media Group is ahead of the curve in understanding the importance consumers are placing on their privacy, and the shifting landscape of regulations and market trends that require our ecosystem to build stronger, more trustworthy relationships with consumers,” said Scott Howe, CEO, LiveRamp. “Allen Media Group’s implementation of ATS is a sustainable solution for all aspects of privacy, while creating value for marketers looking to reach these addressable audiences.”

Allen Media Group launched the Weather Channel TV streaming app last year. Pay TV subscribers can authenticate to view Weather Channel programming and non-subscribers can bu direct-to-consumer subscription packages.

“The industry is at a crossroads when it comes to privacy, and we’re looking ahead so we can meet today’s demands for privacy, but also anticipate where the market is going moving forward,” Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, said. “Amidst industry and macroeconomic pressures, Allen Media Group’s deployment of ATS provides a critical solution to make every impression addressable and measurable for marketers, while also maintaining industry-best standards for consumer privacy.” ■

Allen Media Group’s free streaming service Local Now said it made a deal with PBS to carry live streams of PBS’s local stations.

Local Now will also stream PBS’s Kids 24/7 channel.

“This exciting partnership helps us continue to meet viewers everywhere they are with the quality content they expect from PBS,” said PBS Chief Digital and Marketing Officer Ira Rubenstein. “By providing an accessible platform through Local Now, PBS stations will be empowered to expand their digital footprint and engage new audiences with locally-produced and distributed programming. It’s all part of supporting and boosting the presence of our PBS stations in the communities we serve.”

PBS has made earlier deals to have its stations streamed with YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream. Unlike those subscription services, Local Now is available free.

“The addition of local PBS stations is a major achievement for Local Now and cements our position as the leader of free-streaming local news and entertainment in America,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group, parent company of Local Now. “Viewers of all ages know and love PBS and soon they will be able to stream this amazing content for free, anytime on our free-streaming service Local Now.”

Participating PBS stations reaching audiences in more than 300 markets and cities across the country will become available on Local Now over the next few months, with the full launch completed in 2023.

Local Now viewers will be able to watch locally produced shows, educational series, PBS favorites including PBS NewsHour, Frontline and Antiques Roadshow.

Earlier this year, Allen Media Group launched the PBS Digital Studios FAST channel on Local Now. The FAST channel offers original series and short-form content that explore science, arts, culture and more.

Local Now provides localized news, weather, sports, traffic, and entertainment, produced by various news organizations in more than 225 markets across the U.S. It offers more than 450 free-streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country. ■

Media mogul Byron Allen is setting up fellow comedian Jamie Kennedy with his own streaming channel on Allen’s free Local Now platform.

Jamie Kennedy Channel launches Thursday with the comic’s movies, shows and stand-up specials. The channel is the first on Local Now dedicated to a signal comedian and is designed for big Jamie Kennedy Fans.

“Jamie Kennedy is absolutely brilliant and hilarious,” Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, said. “Jamie has put hours of very funny, exclusive content on his channel, and comedy fans will thoroughly enjoy Jamie’s incredible talent on Local Now.”

Viewers of the channel will have free 24/7 access to some of the star’s best content including Jamie Kennedy Experiment: Behind the Scenes and Jamie Kennedy film classics including Cafe featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kickin’ It Old Skool, featuring Miguel A. Núñez Jr. and Michael Rosenbaum, and Jackhammer, featuring Guy Christie. 

“Working with Byron Allen's global media company is incredible. As a comedian, Byron gets all my ideas, and as a businessman, he knows exactly how to sell them. It's a rare combo that only he can deliver,”  Kennedy said. “As a comedian/panelist on his long-running television comedy game show Funny You Should Ask, and now as a content partner on Allen’s new Jamie Kennedy Channel on Local Now, I am delighted and honored to launch this great new platform for me to showcase and free-stream all my comedy content.”

Local Now offers more than 450 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country, as well as more than 17,500 movies, TV shows, and documentaries. The Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and iOS devices. ■

Allen Media Group and Hearst Television said they reached an agreement under which Allen’s Local Now free streaming service will carry 27 of Hearst's Very Local news channels.

The ad-supported streaming channels, serving 26 U.S. media markets in 39 states, provide news and local content produced by Hearst’s TV stations.

“Local Now has the most local channels of any free streaming platform,” Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Local Now parent company Allen Media Group, said. “We are thrilled to bring best-in-class local programming from Hearst Television to the Local Now platform. Our users value premium local news channels that they know and trust.”

Financial terms were not disclosed. 

“We’re excited to expand Hearst Television’s streaming footprint by making our Very Local channels available to the diverse and growing audiences on the Local Now streaming app,” Hearst Television senior VP of streaming services Andrew Fitzgerald said. “As consumers seek to connect with local news and information on streaming platforms, Hearst Television will meet them where they are with award-winning news and originals via Very Local.”

Local Now provides local content to 225 markets. It competes with Sinclair Broadcast Group’s NewsON and VUit from Syncbak and Gray Television. ■

The Elvis Presley Channel has launched on platforms including LG Channels, Amazon’s Freevee, Vizio, Sling, Xumo, Plex and Local Now.

The channel, created in partnership by Elvis Presley Enterprises and ABG Entertainment, with Cinedigm, features the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in films and specials, as well as series and lifestyle programming.

Original series are in development.

"We are thrilled for fans to immerse themselves in Elvis' world with the launch of The Elvis Presley Channel," said Matt Abruzzo, senior director - brand management, entertainment, Authentic Brands Group (ABG), owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, LLC. "The Elvis fandom is incredibly passionate, and when it comes to serving enthusiastic fan bases, no one does it better than Cinedigm."

Cinedigm announced plans to launch the channel last year.   ■

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group said it is working with Rotana Media Group to launch its first Arabic channels on the Local Now free streaming service.

The deal enables Local Now to connect with the Arab community in North America by providing Arabic movies, series, kids and spiritual programming from Rotana.

“We are excited to partner with Rotana Media Group, and are honored to be the platform offering the first Arabic FAST channels in the U.S.,” said Michael Senzon, president of digital for Allen Media Group – parent company of Local Now. “The mission of Local Now is to provide our audience the best local news and entertainment. Amazing partnerships like this help us deliver on that mission.” 

Local Now launched four free streaming TV channels on Thursday: Rotana Channel, Rotana Classic, Rotana Drama and Rotana Music.

Also: Crackle Plus Adds Five Streaming Channels on Byron Allen’s Local Now

“We are excited to makes these channels available on Local Now,” said Sherif Iskander, VP, international business development at Rotana. “There is something for every member of the family and we will expand our offering as we establish ourselves as the number one provider of Arabic content in the world’s largest media market,” he added. 

Local Now provides localized news, weather, sports, traffic, and entertainment on 420 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country. It also has more than 14,000 movies, TV shows and documentaries. 

The Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and IOS devices. ■

Byron Allen, founder and CEO of Allen Media Group, offered the keynote during the Next TV Summit at the Sofitel in Beverly Hills. Interviewed by Tim Hanlon, founder and CEO of The Vertere Group, Allen spoke about his start in television as a teen, his shift to industry titan, and how he sees the TV landscape today.

The interview was part of Broadcasting + Cable/Multichannel News/NextTV's LA TV Week.

Allen spoke of moving to Los Angeles as a child, his mother talking her way into work at NBC, and getting his start in comedy. Performances as a teen at the Comedy Store led to working on the writing team of Jimmie Walker, star of Good Times, with the likes of David Letterman and Jay Leno.

“I learned how to write jokes and create funny,” he said.

A co-host role on Real People, still in his teen years, followed. “It gave birth to everything you see and know about reality television,” said an ebullient Allen of the NBC unscripted show.

Allen shared how he grew to see the industry as “business show” more than show business in his shift from talent to ownership. “If you learn the business you can do as many shows as you want,” he said.

Still, selling syndicated shows to stations in the early days was a grind. “There were days I didn’t eat,” he said. “There were days they turned off my phone.”

Slowly, stations and advertisers got on board. “Dialing and smiling, smiling and dialing,” is how Allen recalled it.

Allen’s portfolio includes Entertainment Studios, The Weather Channel, TV stations and regional sports networks. He spoke of gobbling up URLs with a .tv suffix years back, including comedy.tv, cars.tv and pets.tv, and still sees the digital landscape as "a huge opportunity."

Allen singled out Local Now, essentially a throw-in in the Weather Channel acquisition, as “one of the greatest gifts ever from the digital gods.” He mentioned investing $100 million of his own capital “to reposition the asset” and make it AVOD, not SVOD.

“It is growing beyond my wildest imagination,” said Allen.

With several decades of television experience under his belt, Allen said the business continues to offer “an enormous untapped space,” with lots of revenue potential for savvy operators. ■

Crackle Plus said it reached an agreement under which five of its free ad-supported streaming TV channels will be launched on Allen Media Group’s Local Now platform.

The five channels joining the Local Now lineup are Crackle, Crackle Classics, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Popcornflix and Truli.

“We’re thrilled to bring our vast library of content to Local Now viewers, which between our five streaming services, will offer something for everyone,” said Philippe Guelton, president of Crackle Plus. “Expanding our distribution with Local Now also reflects our commitment to providing consumers with high quality, entertaining content for free with the support of advertisers who can now reach a brand new audience.”

Crackle Plus is a division of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.

“Crackle is a household name in family entertainment, and we are thrilled to partner and add their five channels to Local Now’s stellar lineup,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group – the parent company of Local Now. “Local Now is strongly committed to the free streaming space, and we continue to grow our platform by working with amazing brands like Crackle to deliver our viewers high-quality free content.” 

Local Now offers more than 450 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every market the Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and iOS devices. 

Crackle has original and exclusive programming like Taboo and the feature film The Mercy. Crackle Classics offers films and TV series such as the Laurel and Hardy and Little Rascals libraries. Popcornflix features action and adventure shows  like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the two-part limited series Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island. Chicken Soup for the Soul has female-oriented programing including Smart Home Nation and Mothers and Daughters. Truli features family-friendly and faith-based content including the Bible series The Chosen. 

The Crackle Plus streaming services are distributed through Amazon Fire TV, RokuTV, Apple TV, Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4 and Xbox One), Plex, iOS and Android mobile devices and on desktops at Crackle.com. Crackle Plus plans to expand to more than 90 touchpoints.

Crackle is also available in approximately 500,000 hotel rooms in the Marriott Bonvoy chain. ■

Byron Allen is moving fast in a lot of different directions at once. The entertainer —
famously the youngest standup comedian to do a set on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show — is determined to build the world’s biggest media company. He’s buying old-fashioned local TV stations and starting up streaming services. At the same time, he wants to fix the country and save the world.

He’s also sued giant companies he wants to work with. His cable channels are carried by Comcast and Charter Communications following litigation against them. His discrimination complaint seeking more advertising dollars for minority-owned companies like Allen Media Group was dismissed earlier this month, but Allen’s lawyers say they plan to amend and pursue the complaint.

Allen told B+C/Multichannel News the lawsuits have rubbed some people the wrong way, but he sees no obstacles or contradictions in his ambition and activity.

“Please understand, we are a digital-first company,” Allen said. “Everything we do is about digital. The reason why I’ve said we’re going to be the world’s biggest media company is because no one’s in a better position to be digital-first than us.”

Early Digital Adopter

Allen said he was early to jump on the digital bandwagon, buying up domains like Comedy.tv, Cars.tv and Pets.tv when others were caught up in the dot-com rush. He’s also pledged to spend $10 billion on TV stations — which are about as traditional as traditional media gets. 

Just as movies and radio weren’t replaced by television, Allen doesn’t see streaming replacing television. “It all turned out to be additive and the landscape became much richer,” he said. “And the landscape became much stronger because there is no one platform. It is additive and the platforms, in some ways, have started to work together in symphony.” 

Even with streaming services spending $50 billion on content, stations generate big audiences for their programming, especially football and other sports. “Big Four network affiliates are always going to be needed,” Allen said. “I think there’s an opportunity to be very much of a part of this dynamic landscape.”

Also: Byron Allen: We Must Have Economic Inclusion for Black-Owned Media

TV stations deliver local news, and to Allen the importance of local news was driven home during the pandemic. “It was not uncommon for our TV stations to achieve 50% to 90% shares,” he said. “Local news is one of the most important things in our society. Food, water, clean air and local news. You need it to survive. You need to know what’s going on in your community before you walk out your front door.”

For the stations Allen buys, the goal is to be No. 1 in news. “It should go without saying, we’re going to invest whatever we have to invest to make sure that our local TV stations are No. 1 in news.”

He said his stations now cover just under 5% of the U.S. “It is, I believe, the largest privately held station group, in terms of footprint, that is not publicly traded or multigenerationally owned — and that’s been accomplished in about two years.”

He is not finished buying stations. Allen has reportedly made a $10 billion bid for Tegna, which owns 64 TV stations. He said he couldn’t comment on Tegna because of a confidentiality agreement. 

“We are very acquisitive and we are looking to buy Big Four network affiliates wherever we can achieve that goal,” he said. 

While sports is a foundation of his broadcast stations, Allen also is creating a free streaming service devoted to sports called Sports.TV. The app was recently made available at the Apple app store.

“Sports.tv is something we’re very passionate about,” Allen said. “What we did there is we took the world’s two favorite words, sports and free, and we put them together. It’s a virtual MVPD and you can stream networks that are sports-centric
for free. The networks include Football Encore, Pac-12 Network and the
SportsGrid, some of them already on another Allen streaming service, Local Now. Also on Sports.TV are some of Allen’s stations that broadcast sports news.  

“We’re on track to have over 100 networks here in less than 60 days,” he said. “We’ll add regional sports networks, we will add pay-per-view. We will add gaming.”

Allen’s first big splash as a media owner came when he bought The Weather Channel for $300 million in 2018. He recalled that at the very end of the presentation he was given as the network’s new owner, he was told about Local Now.

“They said to me, ‘You own the equivalent of a fully distributed broadcast network that uses artificial intelligence and proprietary software to aggregate and curate local news, weather, sports and traffic and send it to the end user, geofenced to their ZIP code.’ And I went, ‘Wow, that is absolutely amazing.’ They said, ‘Don’t get excited, because it’s losing over $25 million a year and you’re probably going to shut it down.’ ”

Allen said he wasn’t “clever enough” to have come up with Local Now and he wasn’t “dumb enough” to shut it down. 

Reinventing ‘Local Now’

“I’ve invested over $100 million of my own capital to reposition Local Now,” he said. He changed it from a subscription service that charged $4.99 a month to a free service supported by advertising. Local Now now offers more than 10,500 movies and TV shows on demand and 400 channels. Since February it has gone from about 2 million active users to more than 12 million in September, Allen said. “You’re going to start to see promotion kick in and I think you’re going to see that get substantially much much stronger,” he said.

Allen said that Local Now did very well in the upfront. “Advertisers were very keen on being part of our digital platforms.” 

Among the newer digital properties are the recently acquired HBCUGo.tv and TheGrio, which has evolved into an African-American version of Local Now, where users go to get hyperlocal news and information. TheGrio actually lives on three platforms — streaming, online and over-the-air. Allen acquired This TV and Light from MGM and turned Light, a  faith-based network, into TheGrio.

Other digital initiatives in the pipeline include Weather Channel Plus, a $4.99-a-month virtual MVPD with lifestyle programming and content for the whole family, and Weather Channel en Español, a free streaming Spanish-language news service now scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2022.

“Weather news is life-saving information,” Allen said. “You don’t want someone to not have it, and not have the best of it in real time because of a language barrier.” 

Fox News recently launched a streaming weather service, but Allen said he’s not afraid of the competition.

 “I think there’s more than enough audience to support 24-hour weather news, because the biggest threat to human beings on planet Earth are climate change and global warming,” Allen said.

The Weather Channel also started up Pattrn, a streaming platform dedicated to climate. “Unbeknownst to me, the management team at The Weather Channel did studies, and our viewers said we want more information about this and we wanted doing specials about climate change and global warming,” Allen said.

For some people, denying climate change is a business decision, but not Allen. “Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King’s widow, said to me, ‘Byron, the truth is our greatest weapon. So always go with the truth, whether it’s business, or life, or friendship or family.’ ”

Besides, with every extreme weather event, the case for climate change is becoming more evident. “I don’t think you have to have that conversation when you're looking out the window and your car is floating down the middle of Manhattan,” Allen said. “I don’t think you have to debate it. I think people are living it. 

“People are starting to connect the dots and understand that because of climate change and global warming, extreme weather events are triggering food shortages, water shortages and genocide as people try to cross borders to survive. It’s very real.”

While saving the world, Allen is also trying to unite a divided country. Buying The Weather Channel was a first step.

“For us, as a country and as an industry, it was a Jackie Robinson moment for me to buy the Weather Channel, because I happen to be the first African-American to own and operate a mainstream news outlet,” he said. “As a country, we should be proud of that and we sent a message to a lot of people who look like me that I don’t have to just do something in my neighborhood, or do something that’s just solely African-American. I can do something that’s global.”

More Representation Needed

But some things still haven’t changed.

“I am the only African-American that owns a Big Four network affiliate and controls and operates Big Four network affiliates in America,” Allen said. “They’re not under a [joint sales agreement] or [local marketing agreement]. I operate them and they’re under my name.

“That’s a very bad statement, that America has a Black unicorn,” he said. “ It is something that as a country, we need to do much better.

Also: Byron Allen Wants To Save the World

“If you don't own the media, you don't have a seat at that table and you don't control how you’re produced and depicted and seen around the world,” he said. “Then our voices and our opinions are not heard and widely distributed. And guess what? We’re not a part of this so-called democracy.”

While he’s building his empire, he’s hoping to help other businesses through his Black Owned Media Matters movement, aimed at getting Madison Avenue to spend more on Black-owned media. He’s also looking to inspire a new generation, so he won’t be the only Black-owned TV station owner in the future.

“I want to inspire folks to go to the next level,” Allen said. “I want you to break my records. I want you to make me look like an amateur because that's making America better.” ■

Local Now, Allen Media Group’s free streaming platform, said it added four new channels to its lineup.

The added channels are The Preview Channel, Us Weekly TV, Local Now Destinations and ACL Cornhole TV.

“The introduction of these four new channels to Local Now is just another example of our continued growth as a free-streaming service with an ever-expanding content library,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. “Local Now has over 11,000 movies and television shows featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest names and the addition of these channels offers our viewers more exciting lifestyle, travel and entertainment content.”

Local Now offers nearly 500 free streaming channel, including a Local Now channel in every local market.

Also: Allen Media’s Local Now Adds Pac-12 Insider

“We are delighted and proud to become part of Byron Allen's family of channels on Local Now. He has been a constant innovator in the content and digital space. We couldn't be with a better partner than Allen Media Group," said William Sager, CEO, and founder of The Preview Channel.■

Vevo said it launched 10 streaming music channels on Allen Media Group’s Local Now.

The deal with Local Now is part of Vevo’s strategy to bring its content to viewers through connected TVs in both on-demand and linear formats. Vevo said that 70 million Americans watch Vevo through CTV each month.

"We are excited to expand our linear footprint nationally with a rapidly-rising FAST service like Local Now, utilized across more than 225 local U.S. markets by millions of consumers, who watch music videos and other premium content through connected devices," said Rob Christensen, VP, advanced TV, Vevo.

Also: Vevo Launches Somos Vevo Ads To Reach Hispanics Via CTV

"Linear programming allows us to create a more tailored lean-back viewing experience on TV that caters to a variety of music fans and preferences," he said.

Christensen noted that there is an appetite for nostalgic content, so Vevo has curated decade-by-decade themed channels. 

The Vevo channels on Local Now are Vevo Pop, Vevo R&B, Vevo Hip Hop, Vevo Reggaeton & Trap, Vevo Country, Vevo Latino, Vevo ‘70s, Vevo ‘80s, Vevo ‘90s, and Vevo 2K. 

Also: Vevo Campaign for Credit Karma Wins Advanced Advertising Innovation Award

For a limited time through the end of the year, Local Now users can tune into Vevo Holiday, a channel programmed for the holiday season.

Local Now has more than 420 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country.

Also: Allen Media’s Local Now Adds Pac-12 Insider

“Local Now is experiencing exponential growth as a free-streaming service. Our audience is reaping the benefits of that growth as we continue to expand our content and channels,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman, and CEO of the Allen Media Group. “This partnership with Vevo adds more depth to our fast-growing lineup, bringing the biggest music stars to our users’ living rooms or wherever they like to stream.”

The Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and iOS devices.

Byron Allen's Allen Media Group said that Mark Eisner has been promoted to senior VP of content distribution, partnerships and programming.

Eisner, who had been VP of content distribution, will oversee content partnerships for Allen Media Group’s growing portfolio of over-the-top platforms, including The Weather Channel's streaming AVOD service Local Now. He will also add oversight for the company’s over-the-air broadcast networks, This TV and The GrioTV. He will continue to head television licensing, representing Allen Media Group’s Freestyle Digital Media and Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures libraries.

“Mark Eisner is a valued member of our distribution team,” said Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Mark is an excellent executive and well-positioned to expand our content distribution and partnerships globally -- across all of Allen Media Group’s platforms.”

Eisner joined Allen Media Group in 2016 as VP of content distribution. Before that he held positions at Lionsgate Entertainment, MGM Worldwide Television and New Line Cinema.

“I’m thrilled to press on, forging a path towards the expansion of our content distribution footprint across a wide array of emerging platforms,” said Eisner. “As Allen Media Group continues to innovate and position itself as the new gold standard in the media industry, I look forward to supporting these efforts and global initiatives with continued success.”

Byron Allen’s free streaming platform Local Now reached an agreement to add Ski TV to the lineup of channels it carries.

Sky TV is an alpine lifestyle and ski/snowboard culture channel based in Amsterdam.

"Local Now is on a mission to be the most localized news and entertainment free-streaming service which is one of the many reasons we’re excited to announce our new partnership with Ski TV,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Local Now parent company Allen Media Group. "With our new Ski TV partnership, Local Now is bringing the best free and exclusive streamable sports content that appeals to every winter sports enthusiast.”

Ski TV aims to reach the 100 million global ski and snow sports enthusiasts. Its ad-supported content includes everything from highlights and commentary from the 2021-2022 World Ski Tour to interviews with the operators of resorts in Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria. 

“SkiTV is thrilled to be partnering with the team at Local Now as the synergies between our networks will enable us to do some very creative things with cross platform content and integrating corporate partners. We share Byron Allen’s vision for where the future of television is heading and believe Ski TV is a must carry channel for platforms like Local Now,” said Geoff Harrison, Ski TV CEO and founder.

Ski TV will also soon be launching on Vizio and on Rakuten TV in Europe..

Local Now has more than 8,500 titles and 345 free-streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country.

Local Now, the free, ad-supported streaming service from Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, said it added Demand Africa, QVC, HSN and several networks from Quincy Jones’ Qwest TV to its channel lineup.

“We’re proud to continue the mission of our free-streaming service Local Now of providing a channel for every interest, in every market,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Local Now parent company Allen Media Group. “We’re thrilled to announce that QVC, HSN, Demand Africa and Quincy Jones’ Qwest TV are joining Local Now and further expanding our free content offerings in the areas of shopping, travel, lifestyle, music and entertainment.” 

The Qwest channels are Qwest TV Mix, featuring electronic, hip-hop, folks and indie music, Qwest Jazz & Beyond, with jazz, blues, funk, soul and global music, and Qwest Classical, providing classic music, opera and ballet.

Demand Africa offers a collection of Pan-African TV shows, series soap and movies.

HSN and QVC are home shopping channels.

Local Now offer a tier of more than 30 original channels spanning family, comedy, horror, news and other genres.

Frndly TV is adding Allen Media Group’s Recipe.TV channel and Local Now streaming service to its family-oriented, low-priced over-the-top television service as part of an agreement to extend its relationship with Allen Media Group’s Weather Channel.

The deal means that at the end of June, Frndly TV will offer viewers 18 linear channels. Frndly TV said that it will be able to keep in place its current price structure, which starts at $5.99 a month.

Allen Media Group is headed by founder and CEO Byron Allen, who has been buying up TV stations and pushing marketers to spend more of their ad dollars with minority owned media outlets.

“In addition to extending our carriage arrangement for The Weather Channel, we’re thrilled to make two more of our flagship content platforms -- Recipe.TV, and our streaming service Local Now -- available to Frndly TV subscribers,” said Allen. “Our multiple Emmy-nominated network Recipe.TV and our streaming service Local Now offer compelling and vibrant lifestyle content with an unmatched combination of customized local news and information, weather, traffic, and sports.”

Recipe.TV programming includes Paris Bistro Cooking with Edward Delling-Williams, who was recently nominated for an Emmy award as outstanding culinary host.

Frndly has been bucking the trend among over-the-top TV services and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) by keeping its price low, adding subscribers while maintaining profitability.

“We are very pleased to add two great channels in Recipe.TV and Local Now to our lineup,” said Michael McKenna, chief programmer officer of Frndly TV. “Recipe.TV perfectly fills a programming genre that our customers were asking us for. And Local Now – with its hyper-local focus on more than 225 cities across the U.S. – gives us a quality news and information offering. Both are very welcome, family friendly additions to our Frndly TV lineup.”

Local Now, Allen Media Group’s free streaming service, has added the Pac-12 Insider to its channel lineup.

The channel offers select live events, highlights and re-airs of past season football and basketball games, as well as behind the scenes stories of the conference’s student-athletes and coaches.

“We’re thrilled to add Pac-12 Insider to our roster of partners and deepen our bench of sports offerings. With this new partnership, we’re bringing the latest from the Pac-12 conference to Local Now’s sports fans, whether they’re watching locally or from across the country,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. “From behind-the-scenes stories to catching your favorite classic games, Local Now viewers will enjoy Pac-12 on all of our platforms for free.”

Starting in June, Pac-12 Insider will feature new looks at some of the Pac-12’s most memorable football games, including "The Play" from 1982 between California and Stanford, 1994's Washington at Oregon game nicknamed "The Pick," and Stanford's massive upset of then-No. 2 USC in 2007.

Local Now has more than 300 free-streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every zip code in the country. 

With the addition of Local Now, Pac-12 Insider is now available on eight platform, with Pluto TV, Redbox Free Live TV, Samsung TV Plus, SportsTribal, The Roku Channel, Xumo and Vizio SmartCast.

Local Now, the free streaming platform from Byron Allen’s Allen Media, has made a deal to add local news on 10 channels from E.W. Scripps Co.’s TV stations.

“The addition of Scripps channels offers Local Now users access to the quality stations that they know and love - regardless of where they are viewing” said Michael Senzon, senior VP and general manager of Local Now. “Scripps’ focus on growing audiences and revenue in the free streaming space is smart and we’re happy to be in business with them.”

Also Read: Verizon Fios Launches Local Now Service

Local Now offers more than 300 streaming channels, including one in every market in the country with local news, sports and entertainment programming. 

“Scripps is committed to serving its audiences with the essential news and information they need, whenever and wherever they consume it,” said Scripps Local Media president Brian Lawlor. “With more consumers turning to streaming platforms to access the local content that helps inform their day-to-day lives, we’re looking forward to expanding our commitment to them by adding Scripps local TV stations to Local Now’s growing roster of news and entertainment.” 

Also Read: Local Now Launches on Comcast's Xfinity X1, Flex

The stations included in the new agreement are: KNXV-TV (ABC), Phoenix, Arizona; WFTS-TV (ABC), Tampa, Florida; WXYZ-TV (ABC), Detroit, Michigan; KMGH-TV (ABC), Denver, Colorado; WEWS-TV (ABC), Cleveland, Ohio; WTVF-TV (CBS), Nashville, Tennessee; KGTV-TV (ABC), San Diego, California; KTSU-TV (Fox), Salt Lake City, Utah; KSHB-TV (NBC), Kansas City, Missouri and WPTV-TV (NBC) West Palm Beach, Florida.  

SurvivorNet's streaming channel, SurvivorNetTV, is expanding beyond major streaming platforms such as AppleTV and Roku to include free, ad-supported platforms Local Now and GlewedTV. SurvivorNetTV also said it has added hundreds of hours of films and documentary programming to its library since launching a year ago.

SurvivorNetTV is a linear streaming network aimed at the growing community of cancer survivors and caregivers and is approaching its first anniversary.  

“Our original vision with SurvivorNet has always been to bring support and comfort to millions of survivors and caregivers in the form of hope and inspiration,” Steve Alperin, SurvivorNet CEO, told NextTV. “Over the past year, we’ve seen that vision come to life with SurvivorNetTV. We’re excited to partner with Local Now and GlewedTV to reach new markets and an ever-growing audience of individuals whose lives have been touched by cancer.”

SurvivorNetTV programming includes compelling people and stories around cancer, from recent scientific breakthroughs to leading medical treatments, COVID-19 guidance and documentaries dealing with everything from music to relationships. 

The channel’s programming is currently available at SurvivorNet.com as well as on streaming providers including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon. The new distribution deals with Local Now and GlewedTV represent an important step into continuing the channels’ incredible momentum. Local Now reaches more than 2.5 million monthly unique users and GlewedTV reaches about 5 million. 

New programming, besides the previously announced documentary Breakthrough, includes SN & You, a newsmagazine featuring stories about cancer survivors Tom Brokaw and Marcia Cross, as well as cancer advocate Patrick Dempsey. There are also documentaries and shorts.

Xumo and Local Now have added the Loupe linear channel, a visual art platform and marketplace, to their free ad-supported streaming services.

Loupe distributes a 24/7 4K linear channel, blending visual works from international artists with instrumental music, and distribution of the service, which exists in both app and linear FAST channel format, is growing fast. 

The Xumo and Local Now agreements add to a deal announced last month to include Loupe on Samsung TV Plus in the U.S. Loupe’s linear channel is also featured on ViacomCBS’s Pluto TV, where it reached 500,000 users in its first 30 days on the AVOD platform last summer. Loupe also distributes itself in the form of an app, which is supported by Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex. 

Loupe says it has a total audience of 4 million streamers worldwide, with 1.5 million monthly active users.

Local Now is Allen Media Group’s U.S. streaming service for local news and entertainment. Xumo, a division of Comcast Cable, offers over 200 digital channels of free programming across 12 genres, including sports, live events and lifestyle. The new carriage agreement with Xumo is an international distribution deal that will feature Loupe art on Channel 458, within the lifestyle genre. The international territories that will have access to Loupe will include the U.K., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

The art platform features themed series every hour, incorporating art delivered with music from the Loupe app. The themed series include Trending Art, Epic Landscapes and Black & White, which features black and white photography. New series will be introduced throughout the year as more art is added to the platform.

Platform founder and CEO Dot Bustelo, a former Apple product manager under Steve Jobs, launched Loupe as a streaming art app on Apple TV in 2015. Loupe eventually became Apple TV’s No. 1 lifestyle app in over 60 countries and saw users regularly tuning in for an average of two hours per session.

“After working at Apple for many years on product, I saw an opportunity in the market to build something transformative in streaming media that I was looking for myself,” Bustelo told Next TV. “As an Apple product executive, I visited top recording studios around the country introducing Apple’s music software to musicians like Trent Reznor and many more. In my studio, I’d run old movies without the sound while listening to and working on music. It puzzled me why I had to run old movies to have extraordinary visuals for music. What about the two billion people streaming music today? What are they doing with their TVs? And why don’t visual artists have the same opportunities for discovery? I thought about the technology of streaming music, and set out to apply similar technology to visual art.”

Verizon has launched Allen Media Group’s Local Now streaming platform to its upgraded Fios TV customers, the two companies announced Tuesday.

Verizon Fios TV customers with the newest set top-box models can access the service, which offers customized local news, information and entertainment, said Verizon. Local Now features The Weather Channel’s advanced weather reporting technology along with content from Reuters, Associated Press, Lionsgate, Cinedigm, Pattrn, Cheddar, Bloomberg, Kevin Hart’s LOL and People.TV.

Also Read: Byron Allen Wants to Save The World

“Local Now provides Verizon Fios customers free access to a streaming service that delivers super-hyper local news and premium content,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group in a statement. “Local Now uses proprietary software and artificial intelligence in a unique way that sets a new standard for streaming local news and entertainment globally.” 

Local Now, the free streaming service from Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, said has made a deal with Comcast to make Local Now available to customers on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex platforms.

Also Read: Byron Allen is Not Kidding Around

Comcast has been rapidly adding streaming services to X1. Last week it announced it would be adding Disney Plus and ESPN Plus from The Walt Disney Co. 

"I am happy to announce we’re expanding our long-term partnership with Comcast through the launch of our free streaming app Local Now on Xfinity X1 and Flex,” said Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Local Now, Xfinity X1 and Flex are the result of the pioneering technologies developed by our respective companies that focus on delivering quality content and essential news and information to our customers.”

Also Read: Local Now Adds OTT Channels from Cinedigm

Xfinity subscribers can access the streaming service by saying “Local Now” into their voice remote control. 

“As we continue to evolve our partnership with Allen Media Group and to expand the choices available to our Xfinity customers, we’re pleased to now offer even more local news, entertainment content, and lifestyle programming through the addition of Local Now on X1 and Flex,” said Rebecca Heap, senior VP, Video and Entertainment, Comcast Cable.

Local Now provides local news, weather sports and traffic, plus television show, movies, documentaries, lifestyle content and channels.

Local Now, part of Byron Allen’s Weather Channel, is adding a slate of streaming channels from Cinedigm to its programming offerings. 

Originally set up to provide hyper-local weather to users, now offers entertainment from programming offerings on its OTT, connected TV, mobile and TV platforms.

“We’re focused on providing a wide variety of local news and entertainment to our users. Cinedigm’s channels deliver a great mix of entertainment,” said Michael Senzon, senior VP and general manager of Local Now. “No other platform is providing depth across news and entertainment like Local Now, and partners like Cinedigm are paramount in helping us deliver on that promise.” 

By the end of the year, Local Now will be carrying Cinedigm channels including The Bob Ross Channel, Gametoon, FashionBox, Art House HD, CONtv, CONtv Anime, Comedy Dynamics, Dove Channel, Docurama, So...Real, So...Dramatic and Bambu.

“Local Now provides a compelling blend of what streaming consumers want: live, local and broad-based entertainment choices,” said Erick Opeka, president of Cinedigm Networks. “Local Now’s broad reach and unique audience helps further our mission of reaching cord-cutters on compelling discovery platforms.” 

Local Now features The Weather Channel’s weather reporting technology along with a roster of content partners including Reuters, Associated Press, Thrillist, Curbed, Yelp, Cheddar and Vox.

Local Now is available via Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Xumo, MobiTV, fuboTV, Plex, Dish, Altice, Comcast/Xfinity, Verizon, iOS, Android, Vizio, Samsung and on the web and mobile web

Legacy linear brands bring a sense of credibility and gravitas that will help drive viewers and subscribers to new streaming offerings, a panel of TV executives said at the Future-produced Virtual Next TV Summit event Monday.

“Fundamentally, the value of a legacy brand or a well-known brand is simply trust,” PBS chief operating officer Jonathan Barzilay said during a panel session moderated by B&C contributing editor Paige Albiniak. He added that when the broadcaster started making short-form content for the web, it collectively did so via the PBS Digital Studio name. “By putting the PBS name on all of these independently produced short form series, that conveys something to the audience. ...The trust that people have in the PBS brand and the awareness that people have in the PBS brand, maybe gave us a little head start.”

At The Weather Group, parent of The Weather Channel network, president Tom O’Brien said its streaming offering Local Now benefits from the more established Weather Channel brand.

“The ability, the opportunity, is what you do with that brand. If you use it as an anchor, you use it as a basis of innovation,” O’Brien said.

Local Now is The Weather Group’s local news, weather, sports and traffic streaming service. O’Brien added that the service has added new programming -- a series offering advice and mental health insights during the COVID-19 pandemic called with Canadian author and therapist Dr. Wendy Walsh called Dr. Wendy Walsh Is Here for You, has expanded its American Science Lab science show during the COVID-19 lockdown and is live streaming the May 9 Feeding America Comedy Festival, a fundraiser for charity Feeding America. 

At BritBox, a joint venture between British television icons the BBC and ITV, the focus has been trying to balance those two brands to establish a new digital identity in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“It’s an interesting balance because we want to build our own brand equity, but do so leveraging that of our parents,” said BritBox SVP and Commercial Head Emily Powers. “The way we do that is, it’s a lot about focusing on a content proposition that is both taking advantage of the vast library of our parents, as well as starting to launch some of our own originals. We convey to our audience, through our marketing materials, a certain tonality and sensibility that is respectful of the parent brands but also reaching a new audience.”

Ampersand SVP Agency Strategy Marion Hargett said legacy brands matter when launching OTT services because it gives potential viewers and customers a base on which to set their expectations.

“Many of the legacy players have a rooted history of delivering news and delivering content with standards to that delivery,” Hargett said. “... I think having a heritage is not a bad thing and I think being able to bring that knowledge to bear in the television ecosystem is really valuable.”

Picking the right distribution strategy also is important when a legacy brand launches a streaming option. At PBS, which is made up of hundreds of individual stations across the country all with a local presence, it made sense for PBS.org and the app to have a geo-location function so when a viewer logged in they were asked to verify their local station, and received information on the offerings on that channel. When PBS launched on YouTubeTV, it used the national feed.

“We do hope to eventually get to a place where that gets geo-targeted or tailored individually, but for right now it’s more important for us to be on the platform with some sort of presence rather than to precisely mirror the local station,” Barzilay said. “We do that wherever we can and whenever we can.”

At BritBox, Powers said that the distribution focus was initially to be on a few key platforms.

At launch, BritBox was available on Apple TV, Roku and also through syndicated channels like Amazon Channels and Apple TV Channels.

“For us it’s important to balance the business between direct-to-consumer and these channels because the channel gets you into every household, but does so in a way that has a much lower barrier to entry.”

Phase 2, she added, includes getting access to smart TV. BritBox has agreements with LG and Samsung, and expects more such deals in the future. 

The Virtual Next TV Summit is part of Future's Virtual NYC TV Week Spring. 

Xumo, the free, ad-supported OTT video aggregation service, has expanded its streaming slate with the addition of Local Now, the hyper-local service that’s backed by The Weather Channel.

Launched in June 2016, Local Now delivers localized content in areas such as news, weather (of course), lifestyle, sports, business and traffic. Content partners for the service include the Associated Press, American City Business Journals, SportsRadar and Flight Aware, and others. Local Now counts Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT TV service, among its distributors.

RELATED: The Weather Channel Streams Out ‘Local Now’

Xumo will initially offer Local Now on Channel Plus, a Xumo-powered service for webOS-based smart TVs from LG Electronics, as channel IP-126. The Local Now stream will dynamically update in the Channel Plus service based on the viewer’s zip code selection.

Xumo will also extend access to Local Now on other compatible platforms, which include smart TVs from LG Electronics, Vizio, Panasonic, Magnavox, Panasonic, Philips, Sanyo and Hisense, as well as Roku devices and apps for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. In October, Xumo announced a distribution/integration deal with Layer3 TV, the Denver-based MVPD.