The free Amazon Fire TV news app is now adding local channels in select locations

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If you use the Amazon Fire TV news app then good news, as Amazon is now rolling out local channels in select locations. In a time where keeping up with the news seems more important than ever, having the opportunity to easily view local stations is definitely nice.

Announced last week, Amazon notes that the local news feature is currently available in 12 locations: New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle. Local stations include “CBSN Chicago, ABC7/WABC-TV New York, KIRO7 Seattle, and News 12 New York from news distributors such as ABC Owned Television Stations, CBSN, Cox, The E.W. Scripps Company, and Altice USA.”

If you aren’t in one of the 12 locations mentioned, don’t worry, as Amazon has stated that it plans to expand the service in 2021, adding close to 90 additional cities.

This new addition to Amazon Fire TV comes at a time when more people are paying attention to the news. According to a Nielsen report, news consumption is up nearly 50%, and local news consumption is a big factor in that number.

“There have been so many important events and stories in 2020 that have driven the news industry like never before; and we believe it’s more important than ever to provide free access to both local and national news for all our customers,” says Sandeep Gupta, Vice President of Amazon Fire TV.

What do you think? Do you plan on checking out these new offerings from Amazon Fire TV? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Josiah Motley

Former KnowTechie editor.