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CBS Television Stations and CBS Interactive plan to launch CBSN Local, a portfolio of streaming services delivering anchored news coverage and live breaking news events from major markets served by CBS stations.
CBSN Local will be modeled on CBSN, the 24/7 streaming news service from CBS News and CBS Interactive that launched in 2014. It will begin in the New York City market in partnership with WCBS, the flagship of the CBS Television Network, and independent sister station WLNY in the fourth quarter of 2018. The rollout will continue in LA, with KCBS and KCAL launching its service, followed by other major markets.
Ad-supported and available direct to consumers with or without a traditional cable bundle, CBSN Local will be available through a range of CBS platforms. Those outlets include CBSN on CBSNews.com, the CBS News apps for mobile and connected TV devices and CBS Television Stations websites and mobile apps.
The local services hope to see the same impact as CBSN, which has drawn an audience that is 80% between the ages of 18 and 49, with an average age of 38.
“CBSN Local is the exciting next chapter in how our stations will serve audiences seeking local news on all of the most popular content consumption platforms,” said Peter Dunn, President, CBS Television Stations. “These streaming local news services will be a terrific companion to the award-winning national and global news reporting provided by CBSN. Working together, we look forward to making the outstanding local news coverage produced by our stations available to a wider audience, anytime and anywhere people want to view it.”
Each CBSN Local service, led by anchors and reporters at local CBS Television Stations, will feature live streams of the stations’ regularly scheduled early morning, daytime and evening newscasts. They will also feature additional daily newscasts that will be produced exclusively for CBSN Local. The services will provide live continuous coverage of breaking news events and an extensive library of content that will be available for on-demand viewing.
“CBSN’s tremendous success in attracting a growing and engaged audience of viewers across all platforms paved the way for us to bring our direct-to-consumer strategy to local markets,” said Jim Lanzone, CEO, CBS Interactive and Chief Digital Officer, CBS Corporation. “The addition of CBSN Local services delivering high-quality coverage from our stations around the country will bring a new level of depth to CBSN’s 24/7 original reporting.”
CBSN Local will complement CBS’ other streaming services, CBSN and CBS Sports HQ, and will ultimately be included as live channels on subscription service CBS All Access in their respective markets.
