Weather Channel, Google News Team Up for Network of Cameras

The Weather Channel SkyFx Camera Network
(Image credit: The Weather Channel)

The Weather Channel and Google News Initiative said they have formed a partnership to launch the SkyFx Camera Network.

The network will deploy its 360-degree cameras equipped with weather data collection stations in “multiple locations” throughout the country. The network will gather weather data and visuals to enhance The Weather Channel’s coverage.

“The SkyFx Camera Network in partnership with Google News Initiative furthers our mission to keep the public informed and prepared on weather conditions and threats across the country,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, parent company of The Weather Channel. “We take our position as the most trusted news network very seriously and we will continue to innovate and launch new tools that enable us to deliver real-time, critical weather news and information that empowers individuals to take actionable steps to safeguard themselves and their loved ones during severe weather events.”

Allen Media Group works with Google in areas including YouTube, Google Play, Google TV Marketing and Google Cloud.

“This project exemplifies two key principles of Google and our Google News Initiative: using technology to help people all over the world. SkyFx Camera Network demonstrates how a media outlet can develop a technological concept to provide its users with relevant information, as well as a product that will be used for the benefit and improvement of people's lives,“ Google director of news partnerships Chrissy Towle said. “We are thrilled to be a part of this project.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.