Yahoo News Allen Media Group Sets FAST Channel Deal With Amazon for Fire TV and Echo Show Devices
Allen Media Group has struck a FAST channel distribution pact with Amazon that will make its TV stations, Local Now channels and Weather Channel en Español available for free via Amazon’s Fire TV and Echo Show devices.
The deal covers 21 Allen Media Broadcasting-owned TV stations including outlets in Honolulu (KITV), Flint, Mich. (WJRT), Fort Wayne, Ind. (WFFT), Tucson, Ariz. (KVOA) and more. It also includes Allen Media Group’s Local Now streaming service that incorporates local news feeds from more than 200 markets across the U.S.
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“Local Now FAST Channels are powered by proprietary technology that populates news content daily from newsrooms across the country and aggregates 500,000 video stories per day. The channels are curated by the Local Now newsroom – run by in-house journalists and technologists. Local Now is partnered with hundreds of news and entertainment programs,” Allen Media Group stated.
CEO Byron Allen noted the growth of the FAST channel universe has made it an important distribution platform for the comapny.
“We are excited to bring Amazon Fire TV subscribers free premium news, entertainment, sports, weather, and more from Allen Media Group,” said Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. “Free access to Local Now, The Weather Channel en Español, and our Allen Media Broadcasting television stations is a vital necessity and speaks to the core mission of Allen Media Group’s news and entertainment brands.”
Free, ad-supported linear streaming channels have proliferated in recent years as the overall streaming marketplace expands and the linear realm contracts. Amazon’s Fire TV has been a key player in popularizing the concept of 24/7 free services built around genres and themes.
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