LocalBTV Now Available on VIZIO Smart TVs, Expands to 53 Markets as Demand for Local News Streaming Increases
The LocalBTV experiment is continuing to gain traction. The service, whose stated goal is to eventually provide a free streaming option for all local broadcast channels in every major market around the United States, took some small steps toward achieving its lofty ambitions this week.
LocalBTV has announced that its app is now available to stream on VIZIO Smart TV devices. Users can download the app for free, and as long as LocalBTV is available in that market, they can stream their local channels at home or on-the-go via smart TV, streaming device, or mobile phone.
LocalBTV has now expanded to 53 markets in total. It offers a variety of broadcast channels in multiple languages in each market it’s currently available in, and the service carries 35 free streaming channels that all users in every market in the U.S. can watch.
What Markets Has LocalBTV Added Recently?
When we last checked in on LocalBTV, the service was in 48 markets around the country. It has now expanded to 53, with the Albany-Schenectady-Troy areas in New York, as well as Minot N.D., Bismarck N.D., Dickinson N.D., and Fargo, N.F. all sending some of their local stations to LocalBTV. If you don’t see your favorite local channel on the service yet, keep checking back!
What Markets Does LocalBTV Offer Local Channels In?
The ability to watch local news is highly important for those who have yet to cut the cord. One survey from February found that 76% of customers reported still using broadcast TV, in large part because it gave them access to local news that wasn’t available to watch via other methods. LocalBTV wants to give users an alternative to clunky rabbit ears or expensive pay-TV options for watching their local channels, and is available in 53 total markets.
The areas LocalBTV has already launched in include:
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy
- Alexandria
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Bakersfield
- Biloxi
- Boston
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Detroit
- Fargo
- Fresno
- Hartford
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Jackson
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Miami-Ft Lauderdale
- Milwaukee
- Missoula
- Monterey
- Nashville
- New York City
- Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News
- Orlando
- Palm Beach
- Pensacola
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Reno
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo
- Seattle
- St Louis
- Toledo
- Washington, DC
- Wichita-Hutchinson- Tampa
There are more and more free streaming services attempting to follow LocalBTV’s lead when it comes to offering local news. The Roku Channel brought on more than 30 free news channels from CBS recently, each focusing on a different market to provide local coverage. If LocalBTV is available in your market, it’s a great way to watch local channels at home or anywhere you like for free.
LocalBTV
LocalBTV gives users the ability to watch free local broadcast TV without an antenna on their computer, phone, tablet, or TV (aka virtual-over-the-air or vOTA streaming). The platform is available in 53 US markets/DMAs, powers 704 local broadcast TV channels, plus 88 “hyper-local” Community Video channels. The service paused operations in November 2023. It is unclear if it will return.