PORTLAND, Ore.—Locast continues to expand its reach across the country, announcing that it will begin serving the Portland, Ore., market on March 19. The free, over-the-internet streaming service will offer 39 local TV channels to Portland’s 3 million residents.
Locast streams local TV stations over the internet to phones, tablets, laptops or streaming devices so that even those that have cut the cord can have access to local news, storm coverage, emergency information, COVID updates, sports and entertainment programming. The launch date in Portland coincides with the start of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which airs games on CBS affiliates.
As a nonprofit, Locast operates under the Copyright Act of 1976 to rebroadcast local stations without a copyright license, which has been a point of contention for broadcast networks.
Portland stations that will be available through Locast include KGW NBC 8, KPTV Fox 12, KATU ABC 2, KOIN CBS 6, PBS and PBS Kids, Telemundo, Univision, CourtTV, MeTV, The CW, HSN, ION and more, totaling 39 in the market.
Locast will be available in 27 counties in the Portland DMA, including Baker, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Crook, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Union, Washington, Wheeler and Yamhill. The DMA also includes Washington state counties Clark, Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum.
Portland is the 31st market to have the Locast streaming service, making it available to half of the U.S. population, the company says. More than 2.5 million users are registered.
For more information, visit www.locast.org.
