LocalBTV

There is another live streaming service with local channels, and it's free. But didn't Aero try that and fail? Didn't Locast try that and fail? So what's the catch?

There is no catch. Not really. It's just ... well, it's not Aero or Locast, and is going about things in a different way.

Is LocalBTV illegal? No, they have agreements with the local channels they carry.

Is it everywhere? No, it's only in a few markets. Aero and Locast were both in select markets, and were expanding when they were shut down. But LocalBTV has agreements with the stations. And LocalBTV isn't opening markets where they don't have agreements in place.

Does it have all the local stations? No, and if there is a catch, this is the catch.

LocalBTV has agreements with some of the local stations in the markets where they operate. They don't have agreements with all of them.

For example, I'm in the Savannah, GA market, but LocalBTV doesn't have any agreements with Savannah stations, so I don't get LocalBTV. Not locally (more about that in a minute). But in Columbus, GA, where I lived for a nearly 20 years, LocalBTV is available.

The service only has a few stations there. None of them are the major broadcast networks. That's true overall; none of the LocalBTV service areas include agreements with ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC affiliates. They do have Get-TV, Cozi TV, and those kind of networks, but not a lot of them.

In my area, there is nothing. Well, that's not exactly true. For those outside the service area, they do grant access to a "national" feed. Oh, and that national feed? It has plenty of the same type of content, including Cozi TV, GetTV, iSciFi, and more.

It's not a slam dunk, but it is an interesting service. I'm going to be checking it out over the next several days to weeks, and get a better grasp on not just what it offers (which does look good) but the overall experience, to include how easy and reliable the service is.

My Streaming Life doesn't really need another free live streaming service, but this might be a good thing. I'm looking forward to it.