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, the app used news clips posted to YouTube as content for its platform.[5] The app initially focused 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. ^ a b "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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