What Is the NewsON App?
If you cut the cord a while back and occasionally miss catching up on local news, NewsON might be exactly what you were looking for. It is a completely free streaming application that aggregates live and on-demand local TV news from broadcast stations across the United States. No subscription fee, no credit card required. You just download it, open it, and start watching.
The app has been around for a few years now and has built up a solid library of participating stations. Whether you want morning news, evening bulletins, or weather updates from a specific city, NewsON pulls it all together in one place. For cord-cutters running a UK IPTV subscription alongside free apps, it rounds out the viewing experience nicely for anyone with connections to American cities.
What Can You Watch on NewsON?
NewsON focuses entirely on local broadcast news. That means you get access to ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox affiliates in hundreds of markets across the US. The content includes live streams during broadcast hours as well as on-demand clips from recent newscasts.
Here is a quick breakdown of what you will find:
- Live local news streams from over 200 US markets
- On-demand news clips and full broadcast replays
- Weather segments and forecasts from local meteorologists
- Sports highlights from local stations
- Breaking news alerts from participating affiliates
One thing worth being upfront about: NewsON is a US-focused service. If you are based in the UK, its primary value is for watching news from American cities you have ties to. For comprehensive UK IPTV channels including BBC News, Sky News, GB News, and ITV News, you would want a dedicated British IPTV service running alongside it.
How to Install NewsON on Firestick
Getting NewsON onto your Firestick is about as straightforward as app installs get. Amazon carries it in the official Appstore, so there is no need to sideload anything or fiddle with developer settings.
Step-by-Step Installation
- Press the Home button on your Firestick remote and navigate to the search icon at the top of the screen.
- Type in NewsON using the on-screen keyboard.
- Select the NewsON app from the search results. It shows the app icon with the blue and white colour scheme.
- Click Get or Download and wait for the installation to complete. The file is small so it should only take a minute.
- Once installed, open the app. You will be prompted to enter your postcode or location to find relevant stations. US zip code works here if you have a specific market in mind.
That is genuinely it. No accounts to create, no payment info to enter. The app remembers your location preferences for next time.
Installing NewsON on Android Devices
On Android phones, tablets, or Android TV boxes, the process is equally simple through the Google Play Store.
- Open the Google Play Store on your device.
- Search for NewsON.
- Tap Install and wait for it to download.
- Open the app and set your location.
If you are running an Android TV box or a device like the NVIDIA Shield, the app works well on the big screen too. The interface scales properly and remote navigation is clean.
Is NewsON Actually Free?
Yes, completely. NewsON does not have a premium tier, a trial period that rolls into a paid plan, or any hidden costs. It is advertising-supported, so you will see adverts during streams and between clips, but that is the trade-off for free live news content.
The ad frequency is reasonable and not significantly different from watching a live broadcast on an antenna. If anything, having local news available for free on demand is a great supplement to whatever streaming setup you already run.
Using NewsON Alongside a UK IPTV Service
A lot of viewers these days run a layered streaming setup. They might have a couple of free apps for specific content types, and then a proper British IPTV service for the bulk of their TV watching.
NewsON fits into that kind of setup well if you want American local news in the mix. But it does not touch what a quality IPTV subscription covers for UK viewers. Think about what you actually watch day-to-day: BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Sports, BT Sport, the full catch-up services. That is where a UK IPTV service earns its keep.
NewsON is not trying to replace any of that. It does one thing, it does it for free, and it does it reasonably well.
Tips for Getting the Best Out of NewsON
Set Your Location Precisely
The app uses your entered location to surface the most relevant stations. If you want news from a specific city, enter a zip code from that area rather than just a general region. You will get more targeted results and your preferred stations will appear at the top of the list.
Use Favourites to Save Time
Once you find two or three stations you like, add them to your favourites within the app. This way you are not browsing the full list every time you open it. Just hit your saved stations and go.
Check On-Demand for Missed Broadcasts
If you missed the evening news, the on-demand section usually has recent full broadcasts available within an hour or two of the original air time. It is not always guaranteed depending on the station, but most major affiliates make their content available quickly.
The App Works Fine Without an Account
You do not need to register or log in to use NewsON. If you prefer to create an account, you can sync your preferences across devices, but it is entirely optional.
Potential Downsides Worth Knowing
NewsON is a good app, but it is not without its limitations. A few things to keep in mind:
- Coverage is US-only for live news streams. UK local news is not part of the offering.
- Not every market has a participating station. Smaller cities may have limited or no coverage.
- Ads cannot be skipped. If that bothers you, it is worth knowing upfront.
- Stream quality varies depending on the originating station. Some are crisp HD, others look like a 2010 stream.
- On-demand content does not stay forever. Older broadcasts get removed, so you cannot use it like a news archive.
Final Thoughts
For what it is, NewsON is a genuinely useful free app. If you have family in the States, travel frequently, or just want to keep up with American local news without paying for a cable package, it delivers exactly what it promises.
Paired with a solid streaming setup for your regular British viewing, it fills a nice niche. If you have not explored what a full IPTV subscription can do for your UK viewing though, it is well worth a look. You can try ApolloTV free to see the full UK and international channel lineup before committing to anything.
NewsON stays in the toolkit as a reliable freebie. It just handles a very specific slice of the streaming world.