Amazon Announces Deal to Distribute Local News Content from Fox Television Stations in 17 Markets
Amazon Announces Deal to Distribute Local News Content from Fox Television Stations in 17 Markets
Users of the Amazon News app on Amazon Fire TV and Echo Show devices now have more ways to get live news thanks to a new deal between Amazon and Fox Television Stations (FTS), which will bring the total of free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels from FTS to 17 on the app.
These channels offering local news content will come from the 17 FOX Network-affiliated stations owned by FTS from around the country. Five of them were already available, meaning 12 new channels are now available on Amazon News. Some of the biggest markets in the country, including Dallas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, and more are included (check for a full list below).
“This important collaboration with Amazon further solidifies our commitment to bring FTS’s powerhouse local news content to as many people as possible,” FTS SVP Jeff Zellmer said. “We know that choice and accessibility matter to our viewers and this launch is another key step in our overall strategy and goal of giving our viewers the live and on-demand content from the stations they love.”
In addition to these channels, Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo Show devices will allow users to watch local news channels in 250 cities from more than 300 local news providers. If you’ve got one of these devices and want to see more local news on it, simply say “Alexa play Phoenix news,” “Alexa play Seattle news,” etc. to get started.
The introduction of these FTS stations to the Amazon News app shows how badly big media companies want to find a way to provide local content in a media landscape that is increasingly digitized and decentralized. A recent survey found that 76% of adults in the United States still used broadcast TV, in large part because it’s still the best place to get local news reliably.
But more and more streamers are making it easier to access local content. Free streaming platforms like Amazon News, as well as [LocalNow], LocalBTV, and NewsON continue to add local channels to their programming lineups in order to give cord-cutters a place to watch relevant news.
The deal between FTS and Amazon makes it easier to distribute the FOX channels because they are owned and operated by Fox Broadcasting, not by a third-party media conglomerate as is often the case with local affiliates. Streamers will have to overcome this problem before all local affiliates make the move to a streaming platform, and because of the complex business deals necessary and regulatory hurdles to clear before those issues can be solved, it could take a while.
Check out a full list of FTS stations now available on the Amazon News app for Fire TV and Echo Show users.
| Market | Station | Local Channel Number |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | WAGA-TV | 5 |
| Austin, TX | KTBC | 7 |
| Chicago, IL | WFLD | 32 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | KDFW | 4 |
| Detroit, MI | WJBK | 2 |
| Houston, TX | KRIV | 26 |
| Los Angeles, CA | KTTV | 11 |
| Milwaukee, WI | WITI | 6 |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN | KMSP-TV | 9 |
| New York, NY | WNYW | 5 |
| Oakland–San Jose–San Francisco, CA | KTVU | 2 |
| Orlando–Daytona Beach, FL | WOFL | 35 |
| Philadelphia, PA | WTXF-TV | 29 |
| Phoenix, AZ | KSAZ-TV | 10 |
| Tacoma–Seattle, WA | KCPQ | 13 |
| Tampa–St. Petersburg, FL | WTVT | 13 |
| Washington, D.C. | WTTG | 5 |
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