The Weather Channel has launched a direct-to-consumer subscription featuring access to its 24/7 weather news channel through an upgraded connected TV app.
The subscription costs $2.99 per month and provides access to The Weather Channel Network’s livestream and on-demand library of original programming, along with interactive features like local forecasts, radar and real-time maps. The Weather Channel is initially offering a 7-day free trial for new subscribers.
Currently the CTV app is available on Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. TWC said it will soon be coming to Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Vizio, and Comcast’s Xfinity Flex.
The Weather Channel was acquired by Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios in 2018, now part of Allen Media Group.
Allen, chairman and CEO of the Weather Channel parent company, said in a statement that the upgraded app also “allows subscribers to tailor their TV viewing experience to their location and needs.”
“As many regions in the country prepare for the start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, it was very important to launch this new app experience to ensure that our life-saving weather information is available to everyone 24/7,” he continued.
Users with satellite or cable providers can get access to the upgraded app using their TV provider credentials.
“This is a huge step for The Weather Channel television network, as we expand access to our best-in-class weather news and entertainment content,” Allen said in a statement.
The new app is like a TV Everywhere app but can also be accessed by consumers who don’t have a traditional TV subscription to log in with provider credentials. In July 2021, The Weather Channel said it was planning to launch a streaming service in the fourth quarter of last year, priced at $4.99 per month, which could also lean on other entertainment content channels owned by Allen Media such as Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, among others.
Hopes for Weather Channel Plus subscribers were high, with the company projecting 30 million within its first five years. It’s unclear if or when that service will still launch.
Along with The Weather Channel, Allen acquired Local Now, and turned it from a subscription-based service into a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service. Last year it expanded its local TV reach in a deal with E.W. Scripps including 10 new channels. It featured more than 345 free streaming channels and 8,000 titles including a Local Now channel in local markets across the country.