SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Haystack TV, a leading ad-supported streaming provider that connects viewers with hyper-relevant local, national and global TV news, has rebranded its popular curated streaming service from “Haystack TV” to “Haystack News” and reported on its record growth.
With nearly 300 U.S. broadcast stations supplying Haystack News with local news content, Haystack is the only AVOD news service with local news coverage for more than 90 percent of all local U.S. markets. Haystack News is also the only AVOD news service with full availability on Smart TV platforms.
Haystack’s audience growth is accelerating with millions of new users signing up year-to-date and 145% audience growth year over year (May 2020 vs. May 2019). Building upon a strong 2019, which was the fourth consecutive year of more than doubled watchtime, Haystack News is on pace in 2020 to more than double usage yet again, exceeding millions of hours monthly.
As part of the consumer rebrand, Haystack News unveiled a new logo and onscreen look enhancing the visual appeal of the service and showcasing the recent rollout of Newsline, the first-ever personalized and dynamic news TV ticker.
The change to Haystack News reflects the market-leading position the company has secured in the AVOD news category.
“This is a period of remarkable growth for Haystack, with downloads and usage surging as we accelerate our performance across all platforms. Haystack has extended our leadership with more premium news partners and support for more OTT platforms than anyone,” said Daniel Barreto, CEO and Co-Founder of Haystack TV. “The importance of free access to news could not be more apparent as we battle a global pandemic, economic dislocation and social unrest.”
Barreto continued, ”We are now shifting our consumer brand to Haystack News to better reflect our position as the preferred destination for AVOD news. The new Haystack News logo and on-screen design embraces the value proposition we offer consumers to watch hyper-relevant news that connects you to the world around you.”
The Haystack News rebrand is being deployed across apps and supported Smart TV platforms in the coming weeks. Troika Media Group assisted Haystack with the rebrand. The company will continue to operate under the Haystack TV moniker.
Funding its Innovation and Expansion
Dating back to its seed round investment in 2015, Haystack TV has raised $6.5 million to-date, including a round that closed in mid-2019. Investors in Haystack TV include AltaIR Capital, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Stanford University’s StartX Fund, SVLinks, Uhuru Capital, and Zorlu Ventures.
About Haystack TV
Haystack TV offers Haystack News, a leading ad-based video on demand (AVOD) platform, providing free and customized over-the-top (OTT) streaming of local, national and international news. Haystack has more local TV news stations than any other AVOD news service, with more than 90% of the metropolitan areas in the United States covered and nearly 300 local TV broadcast stations including major broadcast groups and renowned national/international content providers. Haystack News is available on multiple platforms and all leading Smart TVs worldwide including the Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku streaming platforms; Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL and Vizio Smart TVs; Android and iOS mobile devices; and online at www.haystack.tv.
