Amazon recently announced that it is expanding its News app on the Fire TV streaming platform, and it now includes access local news content for 88 markets in the United States.
That means you can get updates on local news, weather and sports without having to buy a digital antenna, pay for cable or subscribe to a live streaming service.
Important note: This is for local news content only. You’re not getting access to all of the content your local TV stations provide.
Upon hearing the news, Team Clark fired up an Amazon Fire TV stick to check it out and give you the information that you need to know.
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Markets With Local News on Amazon Fire TV
So you’re probably wondering if you are in one of those 88 markets, right?
First, I should probably point out that you don’t have to live directly in a listed city to access content. You just have to be considered in that city’s television market.
For example, I don’t live in Nashville, but I’m able to access its local TV content on my Fire TV stick because I live in an outlying city that is considered part of that market.
Here is the list of television markets that should have access to local news content in the news app on the Amazon Fire TV platform:
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Austin, Texas
- Bakersfield, Calif.
- Baltimore, Md.
- Beaumont, Texas
- Billings, Mont.
- Boise, Idaho
- Boston, Mass.
- Buffalo, N.Y.
- Butte-Bozeman, Mont.
- Charlotte, N.C.
- Chicago, Ill.
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- College Station, Texas
- Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Columbia, S.C.
- Columbus, Ohio
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Davenport, Iowa
- Dayton, Ohio
- Denver, Colo.
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Detroit, Mich.
- Fayetteville, Ark.
- Fort Myers, Fla.
- Grand Rapids, Mich.
- Great Falls, Mon.
- Green Bay, Wis.
- Greensboro, N.C.
- Harrisburg, Pa.
- Hartford, Conn.
- Helena, Mont.
- Houston, Texas
- Huntsville, Ala.
- Indianapolis, Ind.
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- Knoxville, Tenn.
- Lafayette, La.
- Lansing-Jackson, Mich.
- Lexington, Ky.
- Little Rock, Ark.
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- Louisville, Ky.
- Macon, Ga.
- Memphis, Tenn.
- Miami, Fla.
- Midland, Texas
- Milwaukee, Wis.
- Minneapolis, Mont.
- Missoula, Mont.
- Moosic, Pa.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- New Orleans, La.
- New York, N.Y.
- Norfolk, Va.
- Omaha, Neb.
- Orlando, Fla.
- Philadelphia, Pa.
- Phoenix, Ariz.
- Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Portland, Ore.
- Richmond, Va.
- Sacramento, Calif.
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- San Angelo, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- San Diego, Calif.
- San Francisco, Calif.
- Santa Barbara, Calif.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Spokane, Wash.
- St. Louis, Mo.
- Tallahassee, Fla.
- Tampa, Fla.
- Temple, Texas
- Toledo, Ohio
- Tulsa, Okla.
- Tyler, Texas
- Waco, Texas
- Washington, D.C.
- West Palm Beach, Fla.
How Can I Access Local News on My Amazon Fire TV Device?
So you found out that you live in one of the eligible TV markets … now what?
Well, all you have to do is access the News app from the “Free” section of your Amazon Fire TV device.
I have included a photo of what that tile probably looks like on your screen:
The app will use your location to detect the local news streams closest to you.
If this is the first time that you’ve accessed that app, it may start a setup process of having you choose your preferred news options to curate national news to go along with your local feed.
The local feeds that you receive will vary by market.
For example, I got the local CBS affiliate’s content in Nashville. But I could also access surrounding markets to get streams from local NBC, ABC and Fox affiliates.
Warning: This Is Not a Live Stream of Your Local Channels
When I first heard the news about Amazon streaming local TV news content, my mind immediately went to network programming.
Could I see my favorite shows or sports games on this platform for free? Unfortunately, the answer to that is “No.”
Instead, what I found was a mix of curated on-demand news and limited live stream news options.
As you can see in the picture above, at the time I was using the app there was only on-demand content available from one station in Nashville. But I could live stream content from stations in Atlanta and Memphis.
Other Free Content Available on the Amazon News Platform
As great as free access to local news seems, that’s really only a fraction of the content that Amazon News offers.
Amazon also integrates a curated national news experience on the News app. All for free.
Here are some of the national brands that you can add to your live streaming experience on the News app:
- ABC News
- CBS News
- Reuters
- Bloomberg
- USA Today
- Newsy
When you set up your News app, Amazon prompts you to select your favorites from a menu of free channel offerings:
Once selected, they are meshed together with your local news streaming options to replicate what feels pretty close to a linear television experience. You can channel surf just like you would on cable TV.
Final Thoughts
If you live in one of the approved television markets and have access to an Amazon TV device, there’s not much reason not to try it.
So I suggest spending a little time on the News app to see if this is a viable way for you to consume local news.
Personally, I feel like I still need to check out my local stations’ YouTube feeds and their websites to ensure that I’m adequately informed, but I’m a bit more of a news junkie than most people.
And remember: This is not the full content selection of your local channel. It’s just curated news content.
Even if this isn’t for you, it should probably serve as a signal of things to come for the way that we consume local media.
Having antenna access or a premium television subscription may no longer be required in the near future.
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