What Wbir Television does

WBIR-TV is a local broadcast television station headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, operating as the NBC affiliate for the Knoxville/East Tennessee designated market area since 1949. The station produces local news, weather, sports, traffic, and community programming under its primary brand 10News, with the WBIR+ 24/7 streaming service providing live and on-demand access to the same content across connected devices. Distribution spans over-the-air broadcast, the wbir.com website, native iOS and Android applications, and OTT platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV, supplemented by LIVE RADAR 24/7, 24/7 Live Cameras, and the Locked On Podcast Network for Tennessee Vols coverage.

WBIR is a privately held subsidiary of TEGNA (NYSE: TGNA), the diversified broadcast media company that acquired the station in 2014 as part of its broadcast portfolio expansion; TEGNA itself was spun off from Gannett in 2015. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, consistent with a locally managed market station under TEGNA's decentralized operating model. No standalone revenue, ownership-percentage detail, or board composition is disclosed in the source data.

The business model combines traditional local/regional advertising and retransmission consent fees with a nascent direct-to-consumer streaming subscription via WBIR+; pricing for WBIR+ and other offerings is not publicly disclosed. The target customer is the Knoxville and East Tennessee general audience seeking hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and community information, with no enterprise or B2B customer segments disclosed. The customer relationship is mediated entirely through audience reach across broadcast, digital, mobile, and connected-TV channels rather than through named accounts.

Name

Wbir Television

Legal name

WBIR-TV

Website

https://wbirtv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WBIR-TV is the NBC affiliate television station serving Knoxville and East Tennessee, producing local news, weather, sports, and community programming distributed via broadcast, mobile apps, and the WBIR+ streaming service on Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV. Owned by TEGNA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Transport & Contribution (SRT/RIST, Satellite/IP, Fiber) (MPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local news broadcasting
• Weather radar streaming
• Television affiliate services
• Digital news streaming
• Sports coverage content

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WBIR-TV is an NBC-affiliated local television station producing and distributing Knoxville and East Tennessee news, weather, sports, and traffic content. It operates the 10News brand and the WBIR+ 24/7 streaming subscription service, distributing content via over-the-air broadcast, web, native mobile apps, and connected TV platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.

Product overview

WBIR is a local broadcast television station serving Knoxville, Tennessee. The offering is a platform-plus-distribution model centered on 10News as the primary news brand, with WBIR+ serving as the streaming subscription service (24x7 Stream) that provides live and on-demand access to local news, weather, sports, and entertainment content. Content distribution extends through native mobile applications (iOS/Android), OTT streaming platforms (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV), and the website. Supporting features include LIVE RADAR 24/7 for weather tracking, 24/7 Live Cameras for area monitoring, and the Locked On Podcast Network for sports coverage. The station also produces specialized programming including 10About Town (community features), Inside Tennessee (state-focused content), Mini Meteorologist (educational weather programming), and Service & Sacrifice (military features).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WBIR+: 24x7 streaming service offering live and on-demand news content

Products and services

• WBIR+ (24x7 Stream) 24/7 subscription streaming service offering live and on-demand access to WBIR's local news, weather, sports, and entertainment content for Knoxville-area viewers.
• WBIR Mobile Application Native mobile application available on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) enabling viewers to stream WBIR content and receive breaking news alerts on phones and tablets.
• Locked On Podcast Network Sports-focused podcast network offering team-specific coverage including Tennessee Vols football and basketball content for Knoxville sports fans.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WATE-TV: WATE-TV is the ABC affiliate serving the Knoxville DMA, directly competing with WBIR for local news viewers and regional advertising dollars. Operates a similar local news, weather, and sports model in the same market.
• WVLT-TV: WVLT-TV is the CBS affiliate serving the Knoxville DMA, owned by Gray Television. Direct competitor to WBIR within Knoxville for news, weather, sports coverage and ad share, with comparable multi-platform distribution.

Regional players

• WTVF: WTVF is the CBS affiliate serving the Nashville DMA, the largest market adjacent to Knoxville. Comparable broadcast-plus-streaming local news operation in a similar Tennessee regional market with overlapping coverage areas.
• WSMV-TV: WSMV-TV is the NBC affiliate in Nashville, sharing the same network affiliation as WBIR. Provides a relevant peer benchmark for NBC affiliate operations, content supply, and streaming strategy in a Tennessee-adjacent market.

Broad incumbents

• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest U.S. operator of local TV stations and owns the largest CBS affiliate footprint. Comparable as a multi-station broadcaster monetizing local news, sports, and political advertising across markets.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair operates the largest portfolio of local TV stations in the U.S., including WATE-TV (WBIR's Knoxville competitor). Relevant as a comparable operator of multiple NBC/ABC/CBS/Fox affiliates running similar local newsroom and streaming models.
• Gray Television: Gray Television owns and operates a large portfolio of local TV stations including WVLT-TV (WBIR's Knoxville competitor). Comparable mid-sized broadcaster with a similar local-news-driven operating model.
• TEGNA: TEGNA (NYSE: TGNA) is the publicly traded parent company of WBIR and operator of a national portfolio of local broadcast stations. As the owner, TEGNA's broader portfolio, capital allocation, and corporate strategy directly govern WBIR's operations.
• Hearst Television: Hearst Television owns a portfolio of NBC, ABC, CBS, and CW affiliates across the U.S. Relevant peer as a multi-affiliate operator competing for network compensation, retransmission revenue, and local ad budgets.

Emerging players

• Locked On Podcast Network: Locked On Podcast Network is a TEGNA-owned sports podcast network that WBIR distributes as a sub-brand for Tennessee Vols coverage. Comparable as a sports-focused, digital-first content product that competes for the same sports audience attention.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbir-television

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 Wbir Television