Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Tuesday it has sold its local news service NewsOn to Zeam for an undisclosed amount.
NewsOn, which aggregates local news from over 275 TV stations nationwide, is available to download for free on Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV, iOS and Android mobile devices and offers a free, ad-supported app.
Zeam, which launched in 2009, supports live local broadcasts that air on Paramount+, the NFL, Amazon, Apple TV, Roku, Hulu, fuboTV and hundreds of other apps and websites. It also launched its own streaming service in 2024, which offers content from hundreds of local stations and has partnerships with local broadcast groups such as CBS, Gray Media, News Press & Gazette, Morgan Murphy, Tegna and others.
The deal will integrate NewsOn stations into Zeam’s core streaming service and will be renamed “NewsON. Powered by Zeam.” NewsOn will also continue as a standalone platform backed by Zeam’s technology and monetization expertise.
“With NewsON coming under the Zeam umbrella, we are not only shaping the future of local broadcast journalism, but also reinforcing its essential role in American communities,” Zeam CEO Jack Perry said in a statement. “Through our joint resources we are setting local broadcasters up for a future beyond linear.”
“NewsON has been an important resource for connecting viewers with trusted local news from across the country,” Sinclair executive vice president and chief digital officer Kevin Cotlove added. “We’re confident that under Zeam’s leadership, the platform will continue to support stations and strengthen the value of local journalism.”
The sale comes a day after Sinclair revealed it was exploring strategic alternatives for its broadcast TV business.
Those include acquisitions, strategic partnerships and business combinations with potential partners in the broadcast and the broader media and technology ecosystem. It also said it would explore separating its Sinclair Ventures business through spin-off, split-off, or other transactions.
Other recent M&A activity in the broadcast TV space includes Grey Media’s acquisition of ABC-Fox-CBS-NBC affiliate stations in 10 markets from Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group for $171 million and Nexstar’s advanced talks to acquire Tegna, which owns and operates 64 television stations in 51 markets.
In addition to NewsOn, Sinclair owns the Tennis Channel and multicast networks Charge, Comet, Roar and the Nest.
