News 12+ to shut down as parent company Optimum faces financial troubles

News 12 is shutting down its dedicated traffic and weather channel as its parent company faces mounting pressure from creditors.

The channel, called News 12+, will stop broadcasting Dec. 27, according to an Optimum spokesperson. The closure will not result in layoffs, the company said.

“The change applies only to News 12+ and will not affect the News 12 Network, local News 12 programming, or the availability of News 12 to viewers,” an Optimum spokesperson wrote in an email to Newsday. “Audiences can continue to rely on News 12 for trusted hyperlocal coverage of news, weather, traffic, public affairs, community events, and more.”

The closure comes as traditional television broadcasters face mounting pressure from declining cable subscriptions and the growth of streaming services.

Richard Hanley, a journalism professor at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, said weather and traffic channels such as News 12+ can be relatively inexpensive to operate because much of the data collection can be automated. Before becoming a professor at Quinnipiac, Hanley directed documentaries for PBS and Connecticut Public Television. He described the shutdown as an example of a company looking for ways to cut costs, though it remains unclear whether additional changes are planned.

“They're trimming at the edges now, and once they get that done, who knows what will happen,” Hanley said.

News 12+ launched in 2019 to focus on weather and traffic updates. On Long Island, the channel is available to Optimum subscribers on channel 61. The channel also features programming on luxury living, pets, and other lifestyle topics, according to News 12’s 2019 announcement of the new channel. 

Consumers who relied on News 12+ have alternatives. News 12's main channel will continue providing weather and traffic coverage, according to the company. The channel's content already aired on the regular News 12 channel. Weather and traffic data are also available through platforms like the National Weather Service and state traffic maps.  

Hanley said those alternatives, particularly public data platforms and apps, may lack the narrative and background that television news provides. The end of News 12+ reflects that TV news is simply less profitable than it was 10 years ago. People are turning away from traditional television toward streaming services. The share of Americans who say they subscribe to cable or satellite television has declined from 76% to 36%, between 2015 and 2025, according to the Pew Research Center. 

The rise of streaming means traditional television broadcasters are changing their content to survive, Hanley said. Broadcasters are shifting toward content that can be easily repurposed for social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram, which prioritize short-form video.

Hanley said he doubts another broadcaster would launch a comparable local weather and traffic channel.

“I don't see anybody stepping in other than a nonprofit who has secure funding,” he said.

The company that operates News 12+, Optimum, faces headwinds beyond the television downturn. The firm has over $26 billion in debt obligations. 

A coalition of creditors, including JPMorgan Chase and Apollo Global Management, filed a lawsuit Sept. 28 against the publicly traded telecommunications company, alleging that billions of dollars in assets were improperly transferred beyond creditors' reach. Optimum has denied the allegations calling them "without merit."

News is a relatively small part of Optimum's business. The company combines advertising and news revenue together in its financial statements. The two parts of the business made up around 5% of the company's second quarter revenue in 2026, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Optimum’s decline is also due to increased competition in the internet provider market. Competition from satellite internet services such as Starlink and 5G home internet providers such as T-Mobile has added pressure to traditional cable companies, said Jeff Moore, a principal at Wave7 Research. The company reported losing 40,000 broadband subscribers in the second quarter of 2026. 

Optimum disclosed in an August 6 filing with the SEC that it lacks the cash, projected operating cash flow or committed financing needed to meet certain debt obligations coming due within the next 12 months, raising substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.

Optimum is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to The Wall Street Journal. Asked about the report, an Optimum spokesperson said the company does not comment on “rumors and speculation.”

Despite the problems at Optimum’s corporate level, its television and internet services should remain relatively unaffected, even if the company seeks bankruptcy protection, said Kathleen Day, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings generally allow companies to continue operating while restructuring their debts. 

“They have a desire, or at least a publicly stated plan, to stay in business,” Day said. “So presumably they don't want to alienate more customers.”