ABC, Cox, Hearst Will Bring Live Local News to Online Viewers
Online video has been successful at bringing movies, TV shows, and original programming to viewers, but local news has never a part of the equation. To fill that void, The ABC Owned Television Station Group, Cox Media Group, Hearst Television, Media General, and Raycom Media have joined together to create NewsOn, which will create mobile and connected TV apps for local newscast streaming.
The apps will be free and ad-supported when they debut this fall. Viewers will be able to tune in live or on-demand newscasts from their area or from 112 stations in 84 U.S. markets. NewsOn notes that it will include stations in 8 of the top 10 markets. For 21 markets NewsOn will carry multiple stations, letting viewers get multiple perspectives on local news.
“The sheer amount of live news coverage—from TV stations around the country—that has been assembled for delivery through NewsOn’s apps is unprecedented,” says Louis Gump, NewsOn's CEO. “Americans place a great deal of trust in their local news teams, who are typically the first informers from the local scene of the biggest news developments around the country. NewsOn will bring instant access to live local news to a generation of viewers accustomed to using mobile and connected TV platforms to stay informed."
NewsOn will continue to grow as additional stations join in, Gump adds.
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