It’s an OTT platform that says it wants to be the “Netflix of Live, Local, and Free” TV. Now, it is getting a programming boost from Cox Media Group‘s broadcast television stations, thanks to a newly inked agreement.
The VUit ad-support, free-to-access national streaming service will be adding local news channels featuring content from the broadcast TV channels CMG owns in Boston, Atlanta, Seattle-Tacoma, Orlando and Charlotte.
The deal with CMG expands VUit’s local news coverage to “more than 150” of the 210 total markets nationwide, New York-based VUit says.
VUit, competing against online platforms such as NewsON and Haystack News, seeks to attract viewers with more than just news reports and newscasts. For example, it broadcast the 2021 Iditarod Sled Dog Race produced by Gray Television-owned KTUU-2 in Anchorage. In another example, LinnMar High School’s graduation ceremony from Marion, Iowa, was streamed by Gray-owned KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was accessible to those across 65 DMAs.
VUit is owned by OTT industry player Syncbak, led by CEO Jack Perry. He says, “Hyperlocal news is no longer just for those living in the community. There’s an appetite for these stories well beyond the local broadcasters’ markets. Cox is the perfect partner to amplify VUit’s content offerings, and we’re excited to be able to bring the high-quality content of their local stations to viewers nationwide.”
Marian Pittman, Cox Media Group’s EVP of Content, Product & Innovation, added, “We continue to see enormous opportunity for local news on digital platforms to not only drive revenue but to extend the quality of our reporting reach of hyperlocal news across the country. We’re thrilled to partner with VUit to make this happen.”
In addition to Gray and CMG, VUit has contracts with Cowles Media Co., based in Spokane; Heritage Broadcasting Group; and Morgan Murphy Media.
