The Weather Channel said it reached an agreement to provide content and technology to CBS News’ newscasts including CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News.
The Weather Channel content will also appear on the CBS News Streaming Network.
“This year, the Weather Channel celebrates its 40th anniversary, and there’s never been a more important time to provide viewers cutting-edge visual presentations and compelling storytelling about our weather,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of the Weather Channel’s parent company, Allen Media Group. “This new collaboration is designed to offer the CBS News audience the most innovative weather reporting, as well as greater reach for the Weather Channel’s brand. CBS News and the Weather Channel will work closely together to explore and investigate issues related to climate and our environment.”
Allen acquired the Weather Group in 2018 for $300 million from a group including The Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and NBCUniversal. When NBC owned a piece of The Weather Channel, NBC personalities including Al Roker had shows there. Roker's show was cancelled in 2015.
Under the new CBS deal, Weather Channel technology, including Immersive Mixed Reality will be used to provide virtual forecasts and show how weather events will affect particular cities and communities.
Weather Channel will also provide live shots featuring Weather Channel personnel including Stephanie Abrams, Jim Cantore and Mike Bettes, from hurricanes, tornadoes and floods.
The CBS News investigative team and the Weather Channel’s meteorological and newsgathering teams will also work together on special investigative climate reports.
“By bringing together CBS News and the Weather Channel’s weather teams and virtual view technology, we will not only be able to forecast the weather but show viewers what it’s really going to look like,” said Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations. “This is a holistic partnership that brings together the scale of both companies’ reporting teams, technologies and audiences. In addition to the virtual forecasts and live reporting, we will also collaborate on field reporting and pair our investigative teams to expand our environmental investigative efforts. Together we will deliver deeper coverage of one of the most important stories of our time – the impact of the climate on the communities we live in.” ■
