The Weather Channel

What The Weather Channel does

The Weather Channel is a weather information and forecasting media company founded in 1982, operating weather.com as its primary consumer digital platform alongside the Storm Radar mobile application across iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, and Android. The company serves general consumers seeking daily forecasts, severe weather alerts, hurricane tracking, and lifestyle content, and supplies weather data to enterprise customers including Apple (iOS Weather) and Samsung (Galaxy devices). The technical platform integrates NOAA and National Weather Service data with proprietary processing for real-time radar visualization (12+ storm parameters), forecast generation, and severe weather alerting, with recent additions including a generative AI weather presenter chatbot, an AI Weather Assistant, and augmented reality explainer segments.

The company monetizes through multiple revenue streams: premium subscriptions (Standard at $9.99/year and Premium at $29.99/year with bundled partner perks valued at up to $187), display and native advertising on free-tier properties (including a 2025 Taboola partnership for AI-powered performance advertising), data licensing to device manufacturers and platform partners, and affiliate commerce through its Atmosphere editorial section. The Weather Channel is privately held by Byron Allen's Allen Media Group, which acquired it in 2018 for $300 million, and operates with 1,001-5,000 employees. The business faces structural challenges common to digital media including a 2023 data privacy class-action settlement over location data collection, mature consumer subscription growth dynamics, and concentration risk in its B2B data licensing relationships.

Name

The Weather Channel

Legal name

The Weather Company, LLC

Website

https://weather.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Weather Channel, founded in 1982 and owned by Allen Media Group since 2018, operates weather.com and the Storm Radar app to deliver forecasts, severe weather alerts, and lifestyle content to general consumers, while licensing weather data to Apple and Samsung device platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Weather Information Services

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Weather & Emergency Information Channels (MPABAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Interest Cable Networks (Auto, Outdoor, Hobby) (MPABAFAM), News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Weather forecasting
• Severe weather alerts
• Weather radar data
• Weather mobile apps
• Weather data licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Premium Subscriptions: Annual subscription tiers (Standard $9.99/year, Premium $29.99/year) providing ad-free experience, advanced radar features, extended forecasts, and premium partner perks.
2. Advertising: Ad-supported free tier generating revenue through display and native advertising. Premium tiers remove ads.
3. Data Licensing: Licensing weather data and forecasts to third-party companies including Samsung (pre-installed weather app) and Apple (Weather app data provider).
4. Taboola Partnership Revenue: Partnership with Taboola for AI-powered performance advertising on Weather Channel Digital properties, expanding beyond native advertising.
5. Affiliate Commerce: Atmosphere section generates affiliate commissions from product reviews and recommendations, earning revenue when users purchase through affiliate links.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Weather Channel provides real-time weather forecasts, severe weather alerts, hurricane tracking, high-resolution storm radar visualization, and lifestyle weather content to individual consumers through its weather.com website, mobile applications, and a Premium subscription tier. It also licenses its weather data and forecasts to enterprise customers, including device manufacturers Samsung and Apple, via its Weather Data APIs and OEM integrations.

Product overview

The Weather Channel operates a multi-platform weather information ecosystem centered on its weather.com website and mobile applications. The core product offering consists of the main Weather.com platform providing weather forecasting, radar, and alerts, complemented by the Storm Radar app (available on iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, and Android) with AI-powered features including a customizable weather presenter and real-time storm tracking. The company offers a Premium subscription tier providing ad-free experience, advanced radar layers, extended forecasts, and partner perks. Additional offerings include RetroCast (a nostalgic 80s/90s-style weather experience), curated newsletters covering weather, snow sports, and golf, Weather Data APIs for developer integration, and an Alexa Skill for voice-accessible weather information. The Weather Channel positions itself as the world's most accurate weather forecaster according to ForecastWatch (2021-2024).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Weather Underground: A subsidiary brand providing weather forecasting and data services.
• Storm Radar
• RetroCast

Products and services

• Weather.com (The Weather Channel) Primary digital weather forecasting platform providing national and local weather radar, daily forecasts, hurricane tracking, severe weather alerts, and lifestyle content through web and mobile interfaces.
• Storm Radar App Mobile application providing high-resolution radar with over 12 storm parameters, real-time NOAA and National Weather Service alerts for precipitation and lightning, an AI weather presenter chatbot, and customizable delivery. Available on iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, and Android.
• Weather Data APIs Programmatic APIs enabling developers and enterprise partners to integrate weather data, forecasts, radar imagery, and alerts into third-party applications, services, and devices.
• The Weather Channel Alexa Skill Voice assistant integration that lets users access weather information, forecasts, and alerts through Amazon Alexa-enabled devices via voice commands.
• RetroCast Free web-based nostalgic feature recreating The Weather Channel's classic 80s and 90s cable TV broadcast style with smooth jazz and simple graphics, providing live local weather conditions, 36-hour forecasts, extended forecasts, and radar information.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's most accurate forecaster - ForecastWatch Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview 2021-2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Samsung ElectronicscoreTechnology or Integration · 13 May 2026Samsung Galaxy devices use Weather Channel weather data as the external data provider for their pre-installed weather application. Samsung acknowledged errors in data and is working with Weather Channel on corrective measures for territorial mapping issues.
• ApplecoreTechnology or Integration · 28 April 2026The Weather Channel serves as one of Apple's third-party data providers for the iOS Weather app. When Apple experienced a Weather app outage in April 2026, it may have been connected to simultaneous disruptions at The Weather Channel.
• TaboolacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 October 2025Weather Channel Digital partnered with Taboola for its AI-powered performance advertising platform Realize, expanding beyond native advertising. Taboola expects to pay over $1.5 billion to publishers and OEMs in 2025 through its platform that optimizes campaigns across display and other formats.
• SpotifyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium Perk partner offering up to 4 months free Spotify Premium to The Weather Channel Premium subscribers as part of bundled perks valued at up to $187.
• Outside+minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium Perk partner offering 45% discount on Outside+ subscriptions to The Weather Channel Premium subscribers.
• ViatorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium Perk partner offering 15% off travel experiences and activities to The Weather Channel Premium subscribers.
• 18BirdiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium Perk partner offering free trial plus 30% off annual golf app subscription to The Weather Channel Premium subscribers.
• Amazon (Alexa)coreTechnology or IntegrationWeather Channel has an official Alexa Skill available on Amazon, allowing users to access weather information through voice commands on Alexa-enabled devices.
• NOAA (National Weather Service)coreTechnology or IntegrationWeather Channel integrates real-time NOAA and National Weather Service data for precipitation alerts, lightning detection, and weather forecasting.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AccuWeather: AccuWeather is the most direct competitor to The Weather Channel in consumer weather forecasting, offering comparable web, mobile, video, and enterprise data products across the same target audiences of general consumers, media partners, and businesses.
• Weather Underground: Weather Underground is a wholly-owned TWC subsidiary that operates as a competing consumer weather brand with its own app and website, targeting enthusiast and PWS-driven users with hyper-local forecasts — making it both a sibling brand and a comparable peer product.

Emerging players

• Tomorrow.io: Tomorrow.io is an emerging weather intelligence platform focused on hyper-local, API-driven forecasts and enterprise use cases (aviation, logistics, on-demand insights) — overlapping with TWC's enterprise data licensing and AI-augmented forecasting roadmap.
• Climavision: Climavision is an emerging player combining proprietary radar networks with AI-driven forecasting for enterprise and media customers — overlapping with TWC's radar, severe weather alerting, and B2B data offerings as an alternative supplier to media and platform partners.

Broad incumbents

• DTN: DTN is a broad incumbent in weather and environmental data, with deep penetration in agriculture, energy, aviation, and commodities — comparable to TWC's enterprise data business and a potential competitor for OEM and platform data licensing deals.
• IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite: IBM acquired The Weather Company's B2B, data, and cloud assets in 2016 and now sells weather and climate intelligence to enterprises globally — a direct overlap with TWC's enterprise data licensing stream and a credible alternative for OEM customers.
• Microsoft Start Weather: Microsoft Start Weather provides weather content across MSN, Microsoft Start, Edge, and Windows, reaching hundreds of millions of users — competing with TWC for both consumer attention and as a potential alternative weather data client/partner for OEMs.
• Google Weather: Google Weather is built directly into Google Search, the Google app, and Android, reaching a global user base for free — representing both a substitute consumer product and a structural distribution threat to TWC's app-based and web-based traffic.

Regional players

• Weathernews Inc. Weathernews is the largest private weather company in Japan and a comparable global weather services provider serving media, aviation, maritime, and consumer markets — a regional peer with similar breadth of consumer and enterprise offerings outside TWC's core US footprint.

Others

• BreezoMeter (by Microsoft): BreezoMeter provides air quality and environmental health data, a sub-component of TWC's broader weather and health content (allergies, air quality, skin health) — adjacent and thematically related rather than a direct weather forecast competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/weatherchannel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheWeatherChannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheWeatherChannel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/166424
• Instagraminstagram.com/weatherchannel

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Weather Channel