Haystack News
{{Short description|OTT platform for news videos}}
{{Infobox company
| logo = Haystack News Logo.jpg
| former_name = Haystack TV
| industry = {{Unbulleted list|Media|OTT streaming}}
| genre = News
| founded = 2013
| founder = {{Unbulleted list|Daniel Barreto|Ish Harshawat}}
| hq_location_country = United States
| area_served = Worldwide
| website = http://haystack.tv/
}}
Haystack News (formerly Haystack TV) is a free ad-supported streaming service for local, national and international news video available on smart TVs, over-the-top platforms and mobile apps.{{Cite web|last=Szalai|first=Georg|date=2020-06-17|title=Ad-Supported News Streamer Haystack Adds Millions of Users, Rebrands (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/ad-supported-news-streamer-haystack-adds-millions-users-rebrands-1298167/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}} Haystack uses data from each user—such as location, topics of interest and favorite publishers—to create a personalized playlist of short news clips.{{Cite web|last=Roettgers|first=Janko|date=2020-07-23|title=With 24/7 programming, the future of TV looks a lot like its past|url=https://www.protocol.com/plex-live-tv-linear-streaming|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech|language=en}} The platform also hosts live channels from local, national and international news outlets.{{Cite web|last=Szalai|first=Georg|date=2020-11-02|title=Streamer Haystack News Launches Live Channels, Including ABC News and CBSN|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/streamer-haystack-news-launches-live-channels-including-abc-news-and-cbsn-4084524/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}}
History
The company was founded in 2013 as Haystack TV by Daniel Barreto and Ish Harshawat.{{Cite web|last=Roettgers|first=Janko|date=2018-09-04|title=Haystack TV Raises $2 Million for TV News Streaming Service (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/haystack-tv-2m-funding-vestel-1202923528/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Variety|language=en-US}} The two software engineers said they both found it difficult to watch news content on TV without a cable subscription and decided to create an app to fill that void.{{Cite web|title=Haystack TV Scores $1.7 Million For Its News Service Aimed At Cord Cutters|url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/04/07/haystack-tv-scores-1-7-million-for-its-news-service-aimed-at-cord-cutters/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}}
Barreto and Harshawat first launched the app in 2014 on iOS and Android mobile platforms with funding from Zorlu Ventures, the National Association of Broadcasters and Stanford's StartX Fund.{{Cite web|title=Haystack News adds 16 live news channels ahead of Election Day|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/02/haystack-news-adds-16-live-news-channels-ahead-of-election-day/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}}
When Haystack News first launched, it was initially focusing on national news content but by May 2019, the company announced it was utilizing clips from more than 200 local TV stations.{{Cite web|date=2019-05-29|title=Haystack TV is Now Streaming Local News From Over 200 Local TV Stations For Free on Roku, Apple TV, & Fire TV|url=https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/haystack-tv-is-now-streaming-local-news-from-over-200-local-tv-stations-for-free-on-roku-apple-tv-fire-tv/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Cord Cutters News|language=en-US}}
In May 2020, the company rebranded from Haystack TV to Haystack News and launched an interactive news ticker on its app.{{Cite web|last=Hayes|first=Dade|date=2020-05-26|title=Haystack TV Launches Live, Interactive News Ticker On Its Roku Streaming App|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/haystack-tv-launches-live-news-ticker-roku-streaming-1202942001/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}
In November 2020, Haystack added live streaming news channels to its platform, competing with similar OTT news apps like NewsON and Local Now.
Platforms
Haystack News is available on smart TVs manufactured by Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, Toshiba and Vizio; as well as OTT streaming platforms including Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku.{{Cite web|title=Haystack News lets you watch the news tuned to your interests|url=http://www.haystack.tv/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Haystack News|language=en}} The app is also available on Android and iOS mobile devices.{{Cite web|last=Schiff|first=Allison|date=2020-09-17|title=Haystack Helps Local News Stations Go Wide With – And Monetize – Their Content|url=https://www.adexchanger.com/tv-and-video/haystack-helps-local-news-stations-go-wide-with-and-monetize-their-content/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=AdExchanger|language=en-US}}
By January 2022, Haystack News was the third-most downloaded news app on Roku.{{Cite web|last=Roku|title=Roku|url=http://www.roku.com/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Roku|language=en}}
News publishers
While Haystack initially used content from YouTube to populate its news playlists, news organizations slowly began sharing content directly with the company under revenue-sharing agreements.
As of February 2021, more than 350 news organizations were sharing their content with Haystack News.{{Cite web|last=Hayes|first=Dade|date=2021-02-26|title=Golden Globes, Oscars And Grammys Get Dedicated Streaming Channels On Haystack News|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/golden-globes-oscars-grammys-streaming-channels-haystack-news-1234701885/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}