Local Now announced a new deal with The E.W. Scripps Company Thursday, expanding the OTT service’s reach in the local television market.
The partnership includes the addition of 10 free ad-supported streaming channels, providing local news, weather, sports, traffic and entertainment programming in the following markets:
KNXV-TV (ABC), Phoenix, Ariz.
WFTS-TV (ABC), Tampa, Fla.
WXYZ-TV (ABC), Detroit, Mich.
KMGH-TV (ABC), Denver, Colo.
WEWS-TV (ABC), Cleveland, Ohio
WTVF-TV (CBS), Nashville, Tenn.
KGTV-TV (ABC), San Diego, Calif.
KTSU-TV (Fox), Salt Lake City, Utah
KSHB-TV (NBC), Kansas City, Mo.
WPTV-TV (NBC) West Palm Beach, Fla.
The E.W. Scripps Company is an original partner included in the streaming service’s official launch in April, following a three-year test phase. The details of the initial agreement are not known.
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“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 in a statement. “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.”
Positioned as the go-to free local streaming service, Local Now’s 10 new channels join a list of programming curated against every zip code in the U.S. This includes more than 300 free channels plus a Local Now channel that spans more than 225 markets, and additional local channels and content from partnerships with Allen Media Broadcasting, News12, Meredith Broadcasting and Cox Media Group.
Moreover, Local Now provides a growing list of movies and content from channel partners including Yahoo! Finance, Court TV, Newsy, Black News Channel, Bloomberg, Cheddar and People TV.
The expanded partnership with Scripps is indicative of a larger overhaul of Local Now’s failed beginnings as a local news SVOD service that existed under a joint partnership between Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and Comcast NBCUniversal.
Since its acquisition by Entertainment Studios in 2018, founder and CEO Byron Allen has invested $100 million in Local Now, transitioned it from a subscription=based service to an AVOD model, and acquired 18 television stations that help feed content to the platform.
“We plan to invest approximately $10 billion to acquire more ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX television stations over the next two years with the goal of being the largest broadcast television group in America,” said Allen. “All of our media assets, including these broadcast television stations, will work in concert to amplify our free-streaming service, Local Now.”
Local Now is owned by Allen Media Group, the parent company of Entertainment Studios and The Weather Channel.