Sinclair, Inc. has sold its streaming news app NewsOn to rival platform Zeam, the companies announced on Tuesday.
The deal will allow Zeam to offer local news content from every television market across the country. As part of the deal, NewsOn will refresh its brand identity to include Zeam, the companies said.
“With NewsON coming under the Zeam umbrella, we are not only shaping the future of local broadcast journalism, but also reinforcing its essential role in American communities,” Jack Perry, the CEO of Zeam, said in a statement. “Through our joint resources we are setting local broadcasters up for a future beyond linear.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition comes one day after Sinclair affirmed it was re-evaluating parts of its business with the goal of selling or spinning out certain assets. The broadcast unit, which includes NewsOn, was not part of that strategic review.
“NewsON has been an important resource for connecting viewers with trusted local news from across the country,” Kevin Cotlove, the Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Sinclair, said on Tuesday. “We’re confident that under Zeam’s leadership, the platform will continue to support stations and strengthen the value of local journalism.”
Zeam launched last year from the ashes of a similar streaming local news app called VuIt. As Zeam, the app made a splash early on thanks to heavy promotion during Super Bowl LVIII.
Zeam and NewsOn offer overlapping local news content streams from broadcasters like Paramount Global’s CBS News and Stations, Gray Media and News Press & Gazette, while NewsOn also includes local news streams from TEGNA, Morgan Murphy Media and a handful of other TV station owners.
Actor John Stamos is the Chief Innovation Officer of Zeam and is expected to retain his role following to acquisition of NewsOn.
