VUit Expands Hyperlocal Programming With Lilly, Gray, Heritage

VUit, a free, ad-supported national streaming service, has added new hyperlocal events in tandem with broadcast partners including Lilly Broadcasting, Heritage Broadcasting and Gray Television.

In collaboration with Gray Television, VUit is bringing semi-pro soccer team Iowa Raptors FC to the platform where fans across the country will be able to tune into a double header on May 22 featuring the Men’s Iowa Raptors taking on the Steel City FC at 4 p.m. CT, followed by the Women’s Iowa Raptors challenging the Milwaukee Torrent at 6 p.m. CT.  VUit’s streaming broadcast of the Raptors in 2020 attracted viewers from more than 50 DMAs.

Meanwhile, working with Lilly Broadcasting, which owns TV stations in Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, D.C., Michigan and the Caribbean, VUit is set to debut Hurricane Ready 2021 on May 16 and Presque Isle Centennial Celebration, a celebration of 100 years of a state park in Pennsylvania, on May 28.

On Saturday, May 29, Heritage Broadcasting will be bringing the 2021 Great Lakes Big Rig Challenge at Onaway Speedway back to VUit.

Finally, VUit is kicking off a Class of 2021 channel later this month featuring virtual graduations and celebrations from across the country so that friends and family will have an easy way to share their loved ones’ special moments even if they can’t be there in person.

Since its launch last year, VUit says it has found that the interest in hyperlocal news and programming continues to be on the rise. For example, the service featured the Big Rig Challenge from Onaway Speedway in Michigan last September attracting viewers in 50 markets while high school football games played in Eastern Iowa attracted fans from 108 markets.

In March, VUit’s stream of the official start of Iditarod 2021 from Anchorage, Alaska, attracted viewers from 178 markets, representing 85% of the nation. VUit carries more than 200 local TV channels along with a range of themed curated feature channels across politics, sports, food, business, entertainment and culture.  

Jack Perry, CEO and Founder of Syncbak, VUit’s parent company, said: “Viewers have a real appetite to have a better understanding of the news, events, and culture of their hometowns and the hometowns of friends and family. We’ve seen viewers tune in from all across the country, and even internationally, to local happenings through our platform. With the debut of these new programs and channels on VUit, we are making it easy for anyone to find local programming that piques their interest no matter the time of day or where they are.”

VUit is available on all major streaming platforms and devices, including mobile and desktop web, iOS and Android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, AppleTV and more.