US local channels are stations licensed to a specific market — most of them affiliates of national networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, which add local news, weather and sport to the network schedule. The US has 210 Designated Market Areas (DMAs), each with its own affiliates. That's why "NBC" in an IPTV lineup could mean a national feed or dozens of city-specific stations, and why you need to search for your market.
How the affiliate system works
- Networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, CW) produce national programming.
- Affiliates are local stations in each market that carry that programming plus local shows.
- Owned-and-operated stations are affiliates owned by the network itself, usually in big cities.
- Independent stations aren't tied to a major network.
Call letters
Each station has call letters: a code usually starting with K west of the Mississippi River and W east of it (with some historic exceptions). Searching a channel list for your station's call letters is often faster than searching by network name.
Finding your locals in an IPTV channel list
- Open the provider's channel list — ours is on the channel list page.
- Search for your city (e.g. "Houston", "Orlando").
- Search for your station's call letters.
- Check whether the local station or only a national feed is listed.
- During a free trial, confirm local news plays at the right time.
Our USA group lists many local affiliates by city, such as NBC stations in several markets.
National feeds vs locals
| National feed | Local affiliate | |
|---|---|---|
| Network shows | Yes | Yes |
| Local news and weather | No | Yes |
| Local sports on the network | Sometimes different | Yes, for your market |
| Time zone | Often East or West feed | Your market's schedule |
See East vs West coast feeds for time-zone details.
Antenna as a backup
An over-the-air antenna picks up local broadcast stations free in most areas and keeps working if your internet doesn't. Many cord cutters combine an antenna for locals with IPTV for everything else — see cutting the cord in the US.
For the wider US lineup, read IPTV USA channels.
