Byron Allen’s Plan for BuzzFeed: Turning It Into a Major Streaming Platform
Byron Allen plans to merge BuzzFeed with his award-winning streaming app LocalNow, offering 30K titles and 600 FAST channels using AI. The post Byron Allen’s Plan for BuzzFeed: Turning It Into a Major Streaming Platform appeared first on The Quintessential Gentleman.
Black News 
Byron Allen just acquired a majority stake in BuzzFeed, and if you think it’s just another portfolio addition, think again. Allen has a plan, and it involves turning BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Tasty into something the digital media world hasn’t seen coming: a major streaming player.
In a recent appearance on Bloomberg TV, Allen laid out his vision. His secret weapon? LocalNow, a streaming app Allen has quietly built over the past few years with an investment of over $150 million.
“LocalNow uses artificial intelligence and proprietary software to curate, aggregate, and stream super hyper-local news, weather, sports, and traffic,” Allen explained. “Geofenced to your zip code.”
Impressive? Absolutely. But here’s the kicker: “No one knows about it.”
Despite winning “best streamer” twice, beating out Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Paramount+, LocalNow has remained largely under the radar. That’s about to change.
“I’m going to marry that technology with BuzzFeed and HuffPost,” Allen said. “Now they’re in the streaming business.”
And he’s not talking about a modest entry into streaming. Allen envisions BuzzFeed properties as a fully-fledged streaming destination offering 30,000 movies, TV shows, and documentaries, 600 FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channels, and content from 400 ABC, NBC, and CBS affiliates providing local news overnight.
“They’re a major streamer,” Allen declared. “This is the perfect intersection of free streaming and premium content—using AI for free.”
It’s an audacious move, especially for BuzzFeed, which has spent recent years navigating financial turbulence and layoffs while trying to find its footing in a rapidly changing media landscape. Under founder Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed built a recognizable brand over two decades, but monetization and audience retention have been ongoing challenges.
Allen sees opportunity where others see struggle. “BuzzFeed is a phenomenal brand. It’s magnificent,” he said, noting that everybody knows BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Tasty. The problem wasn’t the brands; it was figuring out what to do with them.
Now, with Allen’s streaming infrastructure and AI-driven personalization, BuzzFeed isn’t just a content creator, it’s positioning itself as a destination. A platform. A competitor in the streaming wars that most people didn’t see coming.
The post Byron Allen’s Plan for BuzzFeed: Turning It Into a Major Streaming Platform appeared first on The Quintessential Gentleman.
