MADISON, Wis. – Locast, America's only nonprofit, free, local broadcast TV digital translator streaming service, has launched more than 30 local TV channels via the internet – for free – to more than 650,000 residents living in the Madison, Wisconsin, TV market starting today.

For the first time, residents in Madison and the surrounding rural areas will be able to watch all of their local TV stations via the Internet on their phones, tablets, laptops, or streaming media devices. Locast provides a public service by giving access to important local news, storm coverage, emergency information, election coverage, sports, and entertainment programming to internet-connected devices.

The Green Bay Packers will face off at home against the Los Angeles Rams this Saturday at 3:35 pm CST on Madison's FOX Ch. 47, which is available for free on Locast.

Locast delivers more than 30 local TV channels in the Madison designated market area (DMA), including WISC-TV CBS News 3, WMTV NBC 15, WKOW ABC Ch. 27, WMSN FOX Ch. 47, PBS Wisconsin and PBS Kids as well as CourtTV, AntennaTV, The CW, BOUNCE, Movies!, LAFF, Mystery, GRIT, ION, CometTV, True Crime, Charge!, Azteca America and more.

Locast is accessible to viewers in 11 counties in the Madison DMA including Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Juneau, Lafayette, Marquette, Richland, Rock, and Sauk.

Locast has more than 2 million registered users nationwide in 26 markets – large and small – reaching nearly half of the U.S. population. In 2020, Locast added more than 1 million users, making it one of the fastest-growing live TV streaming services. Compared to most streaming services, which charge fees, Locast is free.

Locast operates under the Copyright Act of 1976 that allows nonprofit translator services to rebroadcast local stations without receiving a copyright license from the broadcaster. The federal statute (17 U.S.C. 111(a)(5)) states that a nonprofit organization may retransmit a local broadcast signal and collect a fee to cover the cost of operations. Locast asks viewers to donate as little as $5 per month to help cover operating costs. The donation is voluntary and not required.

Locast is available for streaming at www.locast.org, app stores, TiVo, streaming service providers Google Play, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon, and ROKU, and on DISH Hopper/Wally receivers or select DIRECTV receivers. Locast also offers Spanish-language access to the Locast app's user-interface, log-in screens, and program guide. Complete local TV guides are available at www.locast.org.

Locast