CBS4

What CBS4 does

CBS4 (WTTV) is the CBS-affiliated local television station serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area and central Indiana. The station broadcasts over-the-air on WTTV channel 4 under an FCC license and is wholly owned and operated by Nexstar Media Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), a publicly traded broadcast conglomerate founded in 1996 by Perry A. Sook. CBS4 operates under a shared-services arrangement with co-located Fox affiliate WXIN (FOX59), consolidating newsroom, production, and sales infrastructure across both network affiliations within the same Indianapolis facility.

The station's product portfolio spans traditional linear television broadcasting plus a multi-platform digital ecosystem anchored by fox59.com, the FOX59 News Indianapolis and Indy Weather Authority mobile applications on iOS and Android, and live streaming via the FOX59 NOW platform on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. Content covers local news, weather, sports (Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, Indy 500, high school football), traffic, and community programming, supplemented by content partnerships with NewsNation (national/world news) and The Hill (political coverage). Underlying technology is standard broadcast television infrastructure combined with digital streaming and mobile delivery stacks, all operated on shared Nexstar platforms.

CBS4 generates revenue primarily through television advertising — local spot sales, newscast sponsorships, and integrated branded content — with rates tied to audience viewership metrics and daypart. Additional revenue streams include digital advertising across web, mobile, and CTV inventory, as well as cyclical political advertising during election cycles. Distribution is dual-channel: FCC-licensed over-the-air broadcast plus cable/satellite carriage for viewers, and self-serve digital streaming/mobile apps for connected audiences. The station serves a single primary customer segment — Indianapolis DMA viewers and the advertisers who target them.

Name

CBS4

Legal name

Nexstar Media Inc.

Website

https://cbs4indy.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CBS4 (WTTV) is the CBS-affiliated local television station serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area and central Indiana, operated by Nexstar Media Inc. It delivers news, weather, sports, and community content via broadcast television and a multi-platform digital ecosystem including fox59.com, mobile apps, and OTT streaming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local TV Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAA), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local television broadcasting
• Broadcast news
• Weather forecasting
• Local news coverage
• Digital news streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Revenue generated through television advertising sales including local news sponsorship, commercial spots during programming, and integrated branded content within newscasts

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CBS4 (WTTV) is a CBS-affiliated local television station broadcasting news, weather, sports, and CBS network programming to the Indianapolis metropolitan area and central Indiana via over-the-air signal on channel 4. The station is wholly owned and operated by Nexstar Media Inc. and shares digital platforms (fox59.com), facilities, and mobile applications with co-located FOX59 (WXIN). Content is distributed across broadcast television, a dedicated news website, mobile apps (FOX59 News Indianapolis and Indy Weather Authority), and live streaming services on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

Product overview

CBS4 is a CBS-affiliated television station serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area, co-owned with Fox 59 (WXIN) through a shared services agreement with Nexstar Media Group. The station operates as part of a unified local broadcasting and digital media operation offering traditional television broadcasting alongside a comprehensive digital ecosystem. The product portfolio includes core television broadcasting, the FOX59/CBS4 news website (fox59.com), mobile applications for news and weather, and live streaming services across multiple platforms including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. All these products share the Nexstar Media Inc. infrastructure and are coordinated under the Indianapolis market operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CBS4 Television Broadcasting (WTTV) Local CBS-affiliated television station broadcasting news, sports, weather, and entertainment programming to the Indianapolis market via over-the-air signals, cable, and satellite distribution.
• FOX59/CBS4 News Website (fox59.com)
• FOX59 News Indianapolis Mobile App iOS and Android mobile application for watching live FOX59/CBS4 newscasts and accessing on-demand news content.
• Indy Weather Authority App Dedicated iOS and Android weather application providing Indianapolis forecasts, radar maps, and severe weather alerts.
• FOX59 NOW Live Streaming Live streaming of FOX59 and CBS4 newscasts delivered through the website, mobile applications, and streaming platforms including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NewsNationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContent partnership with NewsNation for national and world news coverage, providing cross-brand content sharing on the FOX59/CBS4 digital platforms
• The HillminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with The Hill for political news content integration on the FOX59/CBS4 platforms, featuring political coverage and analysis
• Nexstar Media Inc.coreOthersCBS4 is owned and operated by Nexstar Media Inc., a leading diversified media company that produces and distributes local and national news content across television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in system works across Nexstar's network properties.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Gray Television: Operator of a large portfolio of network-affiliated local TV stations. Closely analogous business model to Nexstar/CBS4, including local news, sports, and digital publishing.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major US local broadcast group with network-affiliated stations and digital properties. Comparable in scale and ad-supported local-TV revenue mix.
• Hearst Television: Owner/operator of network-affiliated local TV stations across mid and large US DMAs. Comparable in audience model, ad inventory, and digital extension strategy.
• The E.W. Scripps Company: Diversified media company operating local TV stations and national networks. Analogous in combining local broadcast operations with digital distribution comparable to CBS4.
• Tegna Inc. Large US broadcast operator of network-affiliated local stations. Comparable operating model (ad-supported local TV plus digital) and competes with Nexstar for station acquisitions and ad-share.
• Nexstar Media Inc. (other local stations): Parent company operating 200+ network-affiliated stations across the US. Comparable as a portfolio of like-for-like local TV stations sharing infrastructure, sales, and digital platforms with CBS4.

Direct peers

• WISH-TV (Indianapolis CW affiliate): CW-affiliated station in Indianapolis competing for the same local news audience, daypart ad budgets, and streaming/digital inventory as CBS4.
• WTHR (Indianapolis NBC affiliate): NBC-affiliated television station in Indianapolis and direct competitor for major-network news viewership, sports rights, and local ad budgets in central Indiana.
• WXIN / FOX59 (Indianapolis Fox affiliate): Fox-affiliated television station operated in a duopoly/shared-services arrangement with CBS4. Operates from the same facility on the same digital platforms, making it the closest operational and competitive analog to CBS4 in Indianapolis.
• WRTV (Indianapolis ABC affiliate): ABC-owned network affiliate serving the Indianapolis DMA. Direct in-market competitor competing for the same local news, weather, sports audiences and Indianapolis-area advertisers as CBS4.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cbs4indy
• Facebookfacebook.com/CBS4Indy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wttv-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about CBS4