Haystack News
FormerlyHaystack TV
Industry
  • Media
  • OTT streaming
GenreNews
Founded2013
Founder
  • Daniel Barreto
  • Ish Harshawat
Headquarters
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Websitehttp://haystack.tv/

Haystack News (formerly Haystack TV) is a free ad-supported streaming service for local, national and international news video available on smart TVs, over-the-top platforms and mobile apps.[1] Haystack uses data from each user—such as location, topics of interest and favorite publishers—to create a personalized playlist of short news clips.[2] The platform also hosts live channels from local, national and international news outlets.[3]

History

The company was founded in 2013 as Haystack TV by Daniel Barreto and Ish Harshawat.[4] The two software engineers said they both found it difficult to watch news content on TV without a cable subscription and decided to create an app to fill that void.[5]

Barreto and Harshawat first launched the app in 2014 on iOS and Android mobile platforms with funding from Zorlu Ventures, the National Association of Broadcasters and Stanford's StartX Fund.[6]

When Haystack News first launched, it was initially focusing on national news content but by May 2019, the company announced it was utilizing clips from more than 200 local TV stations.[7]

In May 2020, the company rebranded from Haystack TV to Haystack News and launched an interactive news ticker on its app.[8]

In November 2020, Haystack added live streaming news channels to its platform, competing with similar OTT news apps like NewsON and Local Now.[3]

Platforms

Haystack News is available on smart TVs manufactured by Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, Toshiba and Vizio; as well as OTT streaming platforms including Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku.[9] The app is also available on Android and iOS mobile devices.[10]

By January 2022, Haystack News was the third-most downloaded news app on Roku.[11]

News publishers

While Haystack initially used content from YouTube to populate its news playlists, news organizations slowly began sharing content directly with the company under revenue-sharing agreements.[10]

As of February 2021, more than 350 news organizations were sharing their content with Haystack News.[12]

Local media groups

U.S.-based national news outlets

International news outlets

See also

References

  1. ^ Szalai, Georg (2020-06-17). "Ad-Supported News Streamer Haystack Adds Millions of Users, Rebrands (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  2. ^ Roettgers, Janko (2020-07-23). "With 24/7 programming, the future of TV looks a lot like its past". Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  3. ^ a b Szalai, Georg (2020-11-02). "Streamer Haystack News Launches Live Channels, Including ABC News and CBSN". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  4. ^ Roettgers, Janko (2018-09-04). "Haystack TV Raises $2 Million for TV News Streaming Service (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  5. ^ "Haystack TV Scores $1.7 Million For Its News Service Aimed At Cord Cutters". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  6. ^ "Haystack News adds 16 live news channels ahead of Election Day". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  7. ^ "Haystack TV is Now Streaming Local News From Over 200 Local TV Stations For Free on Roku, Apple TV, & Fire TV". Cord Cutters News. 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  8. ^ Hayes, Dade (2020-05-26). "Haystack TV Launches Live, Interactive News Ticker On Its Roku Streaming App". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  9. ^ "Haystack News lets you watch the news tuned to your interests". Haystack News. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  10. ^ a b Schiff, Allison (2020-09-17). "Haystack Helps Local News Stations Go Wide With – And Monetize – Their Content". AdExchanger. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  11. ^ Roku. "Roku". Roku. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  12. ^ Hayes, Dade (2021-02-26). "Golden Globes, Oscars And Grammys Get Dedicated Streaming Channels On Haystack News". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
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