20 Apr Allen Media Group Turns Local Now Into A Free Hyperlocal Streamer

In addition to live channels that feature national news, superstar talent and marquee content partners, Local Now’s state-of-the-art streaming platform now also delivers original local news, weather and information, customized by market.

By Mark K. Miller

Local Now, a streaming platform that Byron Allen acquired when he bought The Weather Channel back in 2018, has been undergoing changes since that time. Now, it has been transformed into a free, ad-supported streaming service featuring local news and premium content. Local Now is available on most major platforms and will continue to expand.

“Local Now is the most localized news and entertainment free-streaming service on the planet,” says Allen, founder, chairman and CEO Allen Media Group. “After more than three years in development and a significant investment in the platform, Local Now is … unique as it uses proprietary software and artificial intelligence to produce, aggregate, curate and stream — in real time — local news, weather, sports, traffic, movies, TV shows, documentaries and channels geo-fenced to the user’s ZIP code. No other streaming service has this capability and advanced technology. We are well-positioned as the new global standard for free streaming.”

Local Now’s app interface showcases a “Free TV” experience. Local is front and center with the creation of a “My Stream” channel for every user, making the platform even more localized. A channel guide provides users with a simple way to explore the vast content offering. The free library of 7,500-plus titles that help power the channels is also available on-demand in the “Movie” and “TV Shows” sections.

Local Now has a total of 30-plus free-streaming channels including a Local Now channel in every ZIP code in the country, and additional local channels and content from major local partners including Allen Media Broadcasting, News12, E.W.Scripps, Meredith Broadcasting and Cox Media Group.

Local Now has a growing slate of original genre-based channels powered by the content libraries of Allen Media Group, The Weather Channel, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures and content partners including Lionsgate, Cinedigm, Maverick, Gravitas, Sonar, Filmrise, Quiver and Freestyle Digital Media.

Free custom channels include: Adrenaline Rush (action/adventure movies), Local Now Zen and Fireside (chill and relaxation), Fear This! (horror/thriller movies), Ha! That’s Funny (comedy movies), Local Now Sports, Weather Gone Viral, Highway Thru Hell, Local Now Music (music), Romantique (romance movies), Local Now Discover (food and travel content), and Family Flicks (family movies).

In addition to the original and local channels, the news and entertainment content expands the “Free TV” offering with a long list of premium channel partners including Yahoo! Finance, People TV, Kevin Hart’s LOL, Court TV, Bloomberg, Cheddar, Newsy, Black News Channel, Johnny Carson, Comedy Dynamics, World Poker Tour, Wired 2 Fish, GameToon, Lacrosse Sports Network, Loupe Art, Shout! Factory TV, America’s Funniest Videos, and many more.

Local Now has partnered with most major streaming platforms and devices to bring its free ad-supported service to users wherever they choose to stream.

Local Now is available on: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Hisense, Android, and IOS handheld devices.

The Local Now standalone channel is also available on YouTube TV, Sling, Xumo, FuboTV, and Dish.