Haystack News adds 16 live news channels ahead of Election Day

Ad-supported streaming news platform Haystack News is#nbsp;announcing a#nbsp;significant expansion ahead of U.S. Election Day. The company this morning introduced 16 24/7 live-streaming news channels, including ABC News Live, CBSN, Al#nbsp;Jazeera, Euronews, Newsmax, Yahoo Finance and several more live local news broadcast stations across the U.S.

These are the first live news channels Haystack News has added to#nbsp;its previously video-on-demand (VOD) only news service.

The expansion follows another recent update to#nbsp;Haystack News that brought its service to#nbsp;more than 350 total news sources, thanks to#nbsp;the addition of#nbsp;Fox owned-and-operated local stations. This change allowed Haystack News to#nbsp;reach 100% of#nbsp;the top 30 DMAs (designated market areas).

With today’s update, Haystack News aims to#nbsp;become a#nbsp;one-stop shop for live Election Night coverage, as#nbsp;well#nbsp;— particularly for cord cutters looking for a#nbsp;service offering a#nbsp;combination of#nbsp;both national and local news coverage.

Haystack News has particularly benefited from the rapid shift to#nbsp;over-the-top streaming and rise of#nbsp;cord cutting.

Earlier this year, the company rebranded from Haystack TV to#nbsp;Haystack News to#nbsp;better reflect its position as#nbsp;a#nbsp;destination for ad-supported video news coverage. And in#nbsp;June, Haystack News reported record growth for its service with "millions" of#nbsp;new users signing up#nbsp;year-to-date, and 145% audience growth year-over-year. It#nbsp;also said the app was on#nbsp;pace to#nbsp;more than double usage in#nbsp;2020, exceeding millions of#nbsp;hours monthly.

As#nbsp;part of#nbsp;its rebrand, Haystack News updated its app’s user interface and rolled out Newsline#nbsp;— a#nbsp;personalized and dynamic news#nbsp;TV ticker.

Today, Haystack News tells us#nbsp;the company has doubled its net new users for each of#nbsp;the past five years and that number has reached about 3 million users for 2020.

It#nbsp;also offered a#nbsp;new data point, noting for the first time that Haystack News has surpassed 2 billion minutes of#nbsp;news content consumed in#nbsp;2020.

As#nbsp;a#nbsp;free service, Haystack News is#nbsp;supported through advertising, but claims its ad#nbsp;load is#nbsp;less than of#nbsp;traditional#nbsp;TV. This makes the service appealing to#nbsp;cord cutters in#nbsp;particular, who may have lost access to#nbsp;TV news when they dropped their traditional pay#nbsp;TV subscription and are looking for a#nbsp;free replacement.

While there are a#nbsp;number of#nbsp;ways to#nbsp;access streaming news from a#nbsp;smart#nbsp;TV or#nbsp;streaming media device, Haystack News' advantage is#nbsp;that it#nbsp;now, as#nbsp;of#nbsp;this update, offers a#nbsp;variety of#nbsp;content#nbsp;— including both on-demand and live-streaming news, and both national and local news coverage.

However, the company tells us#nbsp;its larger competitive advantage will continue to#nbsp;be#nbsp;how it#nbsp;personalizes the news to#nbsp;the end users#nbsp;— a#nbsp;feature that will help to#nbsp;differentiate itself from other streaming rivals, it#nbsp;says.

Haystack News is#nbsp;offered across a#nbsp;range of#nbsp;smart TVs, including Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL and Vizio Smart TVs, as#nbsp;well as#nbsp;on#nbsp;Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku and Android and iOS mobile devices. On#nbsp;the web, it’s available at haystack.tv.

To#nbsp;date, Haystack News has raised $#nbsp;6.5 million, including its most recent round of#nbsp;funding that closed in#nbsp;2019. The service is#nbsp;backed by#nbsp;AltaIR Capital, the National Association of#nbsp;Broadcasters (NAB), Stanford University’s StartX Fund, SVLinks, Uhuru Capital and Zorlu Ventures.

Published by TechCrunch#nbsp;— on#nbsp;November 2, 2020