Haystack TV
Offering customizable, free coverage from trusted sources like ABC News, CBSN, and Bloomberg.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round |
| investor investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
* | $2.0m | Early VC | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Haystack TV, which now operates as Haystack News, was established in 2013 by software engineers Daniel Barreto and Ish Harshawat. The founders identified a market gap for watching news content on television without a traditional cable subscription, which propelled them to create a dedicated application. Initially launched in 2014 for iOS and Android devices, the company secured early funding from investors including Zorlu Ventures, the National Association of Broadcasters, and Stanford's StartX Fund. By September 2018, the startup had raised a total of $4.5 million over three funding rounds, with a significant Series A round of $2 million led by Vestel Ventures.
The company functions as a free, ad-supported streaming service that aggregates video news content. Its business model revolves around revenue-sharing agreements with its content partners and serving advertisements within the stream. While a free version is the core offering, a premium subscription is available to remove ads from on-demand content. The service targets cord-cutters and viewers seeking a personalized news experience on over-the-top (OTT) platforms and smart TVs. By May 2020, the company rebranded from Haystack TV to Haystack News to more accurately reflect its focus on news and announced it provided local news coverage for over 90% of local U.S. markets through partnerships with nearly 300 broadcast stations.
The Haystack News platform provides access to local, national, and international news. A key feature is its use of user data—such as location, indicated interests, and preferred publishers—to curate a personalized playlist of short news clips. In addition to on-demand clips, the service hosts live 24/7 streaming channels from a wide array of news organizations, including ABC News, CBS News, the Associated Press, and Bloomberg. The application is accessible across a broad range of devices, including smart TVs from manufacturers like Samsung and Vizio, OTT platforms like Roku and Apple TV, and mobile devices. The service also introduced an interactive news ticker called Newsline to enhance the viewing experience.
Keywords: video news aggregator, ad-supported streaming, OTT news, personalized news, local news, cord-cutting, streaming service, mobile news app, live news streaming, news platform