ABC24 WATN

What ABC24 WATN does

ABC24 WATN is a local television station (legal entity WATN-TV) branded as "ABC24" and "Local Memphis," operating as the ABC network affiliate for the Memphis, Tennessee DMA and the broader Mid-South region spanning parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. The station is owned by publicly-traded TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) and serves the general Memphis-area consumer audience with local news, weather, sports (Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Tigers, Ole Miss, high school), politics, investigations, and community features. Its product surface includes the over-the-air ABC24 News broadcast, a CW30 sub-channel, the localmemphis.com website with articles, video, and weather tools, and since January 2025 the ABC24+ 24/7 streaming service distributed on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV. Additional digital products include a 24/7 LIVE RADAR weather tracker, an interactive gas price map, real-time traffic conditions, a "Missing in the Mid-South" public safety feature, and the community-based ABC24 Weather Watchers program on Facebook.

The underlying technology is a conventional broadcast television stack (FCC-licensed transmission plus studio production) augmented by a multi-platform digital distribution layer (web CMS, CTV apps, social channels, email newsletter). The station's revenue model is advertising-driven: it sells display, video, and sponsored content on its broadcast and digital properties, with rates that are not publicly disclosed and are likely negotiated on a placement/timing/format basis. Audience reach is monetized through both linear TV ad inventory and digital/CTV inventory, and the station's distribution spans over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite (via CW30), and global CTV streaming — making it accessible to both traditional and cord-cutting viewers. As a single-station operating subsidiary within TEGNA's portfolio, ABC24 WATN's go-to-market is effectively a product-led growth motion: free, ad-supported content distributed across the maximum number of platforms to maximize viewer reach and ad inventory.

Customer concentration risk is difficult to characterize precisely because the station does not name advertisers and operates a B2C audience model. End consumers (viewers) are highly fragmented across the Memphis DMA, suggesting low concentration risk on the audience side. On the advertiser side, the lack of disclosed named accounts and the use of broad, non-priced ad inventory imply a long-tail of SMB and regional advertisers rather than anchor enterprise contracts, again pointing to low concentration. However, the station is materially exposed to (i) the broader linear-TV ad market cycle and (ii) TEGNA's corporate strategy, which is a form of single-parent dependency.

Name

ABC24 WATN

Legal name

WATN-TV

Website

https://abc24.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ABC24 WATN is a TEGNA-owned ABC-affiliated local TV station and digital news platform serving Memphis, Tennessee and the Mid-South with news, weather, sports, and 24/7 CTV streaming via ABC24+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

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

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local broadcast news
• Television news station
• Weather radar coverage
• Streaming news service
• Regional sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

New Memphis

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: The station generates revenue primarily through advertising sold on its broadcast and digital platforms, including display ads, video ads, and sponsored content on localmemphis.com

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ABC24 WATN operates a local ABC-affiliated television station providing local news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming to the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area and Mid-South region. The station delivers content via traditional over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite (CW30), its localmemphis.com website, and the ABC24+ 24/7 streaming service on connected TV platforms. Revenue is primarily generated through advertising sold across broadcast and digital channels.

Product overview

ABC24 WATN is a local Memphis, Tennessee television news station operating as an ABC affiliate. The station offers a portfolio of news products including the core ABC24 News broadcast (available via traditional TV and the ABC24+ streaming service), weather radar services, traffic monitoring, and specialty features like Missing in the Mid-South. The main digital products include the localmemphis.com website, the ABC24+ 24/7 streaming service available on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV, and the 24/7 LIVE RADAR weather tracking tool. Additional community-focused products include ABC24 Weather Watchers (citizen weather reporting), the Memphis Gas Price Map, and traffic condition tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ABC24+: 24/7 streaming service available on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV

Products and services

• ABC24 News

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TegnacoreOthersTegna is the parent company operating ABC24 WATN as part of its portfolio of broadcast television stations. The station operates under the Tegna media infrastructure and is branded as an ABC affiliate with access to ABC network programming.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WHBQ-TV (FOX13 Memphis): FOX-affiliated local TV station in the Memphis market, competing across news, weather, and sports coverage with ABC24 WATN. Direct in-market network-affiliate peer.
• WREG-TV (News Channel 3): CBS-affiliated local TV station serving the same Memphis DMA as ABC24 WATN, competing head-to-head for local news viewers, advertising dollars, and sports rights coverage. Direct in-market rival.
• WMC-TV (Action News 5): NBC-affiliated local TV station in Memphis, competing with ABC24 WATN for local news ratings and local ad spend within the same DMA. Closest comparable network-affiliate competitor.

Broad incumbents

• TEGNA: Publicly-traded parent company (NYSE: TGNA) that owns and operates ABC24 WATN along with a broader portfolio of local broadcast stations. Provides shared infrastructure, scale, and corporate strategy context.
• Hearst Television: Division of Hearst Corporation operating network-affiliated local TV stations across the US. Comparable to ABC24 WATN as a network-affiliate operator with shared news-production and ad-sales infrastructure.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US owner of local TV stations (including CW and network affiliates). Operates comparable network-affiliated and CW stations in mid-sized markets across the country, competing for ad spend and syndicated content.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major US local broadcast station group operating numerous network-affiliated stations and regional sports networks. Comparable in operating model and ad-sales structure to ABC24 WATN's station-level operations.
• Gray Television: Large US local TV broadcast group focused on mid-sized markets. Closely comparable to ABC24 WATN in market size, network-affiliate mix, and revenue model.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Publicly-traded media company operating local TV stations plus national news networks (ION, Scripps News). Comparable in combining local broadcast operations with national news content distribution.

Emerging players

• NewsNation: Nationally distributed cable/streaming news channel competing for local news audiences and ad budgets. Represents the streaming news category that ABC24+ is entering, making it a thematic peer in news distribution and monetization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/1292405122163922

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ABC24 WATN