Local Now: News, TV & Movies

Local Now from Weather Group packs a surprisingly wide free streaming library into a lightweight 28 MB install. The pitch is straightforward: local news and weather anchored alongside a catalog of over 400 channels and thousands of movies, all without a paywall. It has been around since 2016 and continues to receive active updates, with the latest dropping in early 2026. For cord-cutters who want genuinely local coverage bundled with broader entertainment, the value proposition is hard to argue with at zero dollars.

The Free Tier Actually Delivers

Most free streaming apps front-load the word free and then wall off anything worth watching. Local Now leans into its Weather Group roots to offer real local news and weather alongside genre channels covering comedy, horror, travel, and courtroom programming. Having that hyperlocal angle baked in rather than bolted on gives the app a distinct identity that a generic FAST platform like Tubi or Pluto TV does not really match for news-focused viewers.

A Few Rough Edges Worth Knowing

A store rating of 4.32 from only around 1,000 ratings is a relatively thin sample for an app released in 2016, which hints that the audience is engaged but not massive. The in-app purchase notation in the listing is vague, and it is unclear exactly what sits behind any potential upsell. At 28 MB the app runs lean, but users expecting a polished, Netflix-caliber interface may find the experience functional rather than refined.

Who Should Download This

If you have cut cable and miss having a local news channel on in the background while you cook dinner, Local Now fills that gap without a subscription. It also works well as a supplementary app rather than a primary streaming hub, sitting alongside a paid service for live local context. Travelers who want to check weather and regional news in an unfamiliar city will find the location-aware local focus especially practical.