Gray To Deliver Local News With Haystack

Gray Television will use over-the-top video network Haystack TV to distribute its local news video content to millennial-targeted audience.

Upon accessing Haystack TV, local users will see a mix of the top news stories and other content tuned to their specific interests based on their viewing habits, preferred publishers and favorite topics. The platform, which uses a mix of big data technology, artificial intelligence and human curation, features content from traditional news broadcasters, as well as from newer niche publishers.

“Third-party researchers have named Gray as the television group reaching the highest number of ‘millennial’ consumers,” said Kevin Latek, Gray’s executive vice president. “It is therefore quite appropriate that Gray today becomes the first local broadcaster in each of our 50-plus television markets to distribute local news video content on Haystack TV’s new and innovative platform.” 

Jason Effinger, Gray’s chief digital and technology officer, said: “Our viewers don’t just want great content, they want to consume information on the platforms and devices of their own choosing. Haystack TV allows Gray to better meet the needs of our millennial viewers through a technology and a platform that are far ahead of the competition in delivering relevant video content to local viewers across the country.”

The Haystack TV platform is another strategy that Gray is using to stations get its stations’ local content into the hands of news-hungry millennials. Previously, Gray was the first television station group to launch all of its CBS affiliates on the CBS All Access platform. Gray is also one of the largest broadcast groups supporting Roku with local station apps in dozens of markets in addition to hundreds of iOS, Apple, Kindle and AppleWatch apps. Likewise, Gray’s early and extensive involvement with “Facebook Instant Articles” led Facebook to select Gray as a “case study” for all media companies looking to expand their presence on the world’s largest social media network.

Haystack TV is available on iOS and Android devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Fire TV and on the web via http://www.haystack.tv. Haystack TV was one of the initial launch partners for the Android TV platform and was featured by Google for its Chromecast integration.