LocalBTV
| Industry | Streaming television |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 2023 |
| Fate | Service suspended and website shut down |
| Headquarters | Los Altos , United States |
Area served | United States (53 designated media markets) |
| Products | Streaming access to local and national TV channels, cloud-based DVR |
| Owner | Didja |
| Parent | Didja |
LocalBTV was a U.S.-based streaming television platform headquartered in Los Altos, California, owned by Didja. It allowed users to access live broadcasts and DVR-recorded streams of over-the-air and national channels on devices connected to the Internet.
Background
Operating similarly to the now-defunct services Locast and Aereo, LocalBTV provided streaming access to local channels, but exclusively those that authorized redistribution, thereby sidestepping the legal challenges encountered by its predecessors. The service primarily targeted audiences who either lacked access to local antenna signals or whose cable, satellite, or streaming providers did not offer certain local broadcast stations.
Services
By December 2022, LocalBTV had yet to include major broadcast networks but planned to incorporate them eventually. It streamed main and secondary channels such as Cozi TV, The Country Network, getTV, and NewsNet, with some bilingual programming available. Nationwide national channels included NOST, Cozi TV, FNX, getTV, along with various shopping networks. The platform provided an electronic program guide alongside a cloud-based DVR feature. While the basic service was free, there were intentions to introduce a subscription-based tier.
In November 2023, LocalBTV’s website and applications stopped operating. By December 18, 2023, the website reappeared displaying a message about a temporary suspension of services with plans to resume later. Nevertheless, as of October 2024, the website is no longer reachable.
Availability
LocalBTV delivered a range of national channels throughout the United States and offered local stations in 53 designated media markets. These included prominent metropolitan areas such as Albany, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., among others.
Supported devices
Users could access the service via laptops and smartphones as well as through streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV (utilizing Live Channels app integration), and Roku platforms.