Optimum Communications, Inc. has notified the New York State Public Service Commission that its supplemental local channel News12+ will cease operations effective December 27, 2026, and will no longer be carried on Optimum video platforms after that date. The programming change is limited solely to News12+ and does not affect the core News 12 Network, News 12 local news programming, or the continued availability of News 12 to Optimum TV customers across the region. Optimum is the parent company behind News12+. Optimum is reportedly about to declare bankruptcy as it struggles with $26 billion in debt.
News12+, formerly known as News 12 Traffic & Weather, served as a dedicated 24-hour service focused on traffic conditions, weather forecasts, and related updates for the New York City metropolitan area. It originated as MSG Metro Traffic & Weather, launching on August 5, 1998, as part of a slate of channels associated with the Madison Square Garden networks. The channel was rebranded as News 12 Traffic & Weather in October 2005 and integrated more fully into the News 12 family of regional services. In August 2019, under then-owner Altice USA, it was relaunched as News12+ with an expanded format that added short headline news segments, hyperlocal updates, and original lifestyle or community-focused programming alongside the traditional traffic and weather reports.
The channel operated with regional feeds covering areas including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Westchester County, New Jersey, and Connecticut. These feeds were primarily centralcast from facilities associated with the broader News 12 Networks, which maintains headquarters ties in the Woodbury and Bethpage areas of Long Island. News12+ provided frequent updates—often cycling every few minutes—on road conditions, rail service, local weather, and related practical information tailored to commuters and residents in the tri-state region. It ranked among the more watched channels on Optimum lineups in its markets at various points and complemented the main News 12 channels that deliver broader hyperlocal news, public affairs, community events, and weather coverage.
Optimum has emphasized that the discontinuation will not reduce the availability of core News 12 programming to subscribers. Content substantially similar to what previously appeared on News12+, including local weather and community-focused material, is expected to remain accessible through the primary News 12 Network and the related News 12 branded programming service in2 TV. The latter channel, launched earlier in 2026, houses original series from the News 12 brand, such as investigative or community-oriented programming. Customers will receive notification of the change through on-screen messaging as well as bill messages or inserts. Current channel lineup details continue to be available on the Optimum website.
The News 12 Networks themselves represent one of the longest-running and most established regional cable news operations in the United States. The original News 12 Long Island launched in December 1986 under Cablevision, becoming the first 24-hour local news channel in the country. Over subsequent decades the network expanded to additional regional feeds serving distinct parts of the New York metropolitan area outside core Manhattan and Queens coverage. The overall group has long been recognized for hyperlocal reporting and has accumulated numerous industry awards, including multiple New York Emmy Awards. Ownership transitioned through Cablevision to Altice USA in a major 2016 acquisition; the parent company later rebranded as Optimum Communications, Inc., aligning its corporate identity more closely with its consumer-facing Optimum brand.
The move to discontinue News12+ comes amid ongoing adjustments across local television and cable news operations in the region and nationally, as providers respond to shifting viewing habits, multiplatform distribution, and operational considerations. Optimum has indicated that audiences can continue to rely on the flagship News 12 services for local news, weather, traffic, public affairs, and community coverage across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, Long Island, and Westchester areas. The official notice to regulators was dated October 26, 2026, and directed to the Secretary to the Commission at the New York State Public Service Commission in Albany. Questions regarding the change can be directed to the company’s designated contact for the filing.
This programming adjustment concludes nearly three decades of continuous operation for the specialized traffic-and-weather channel that evolved from its MSG Metro origins into a branded extension of the News 12 local news franchise. While the supplemental service will end, the broader News 12 ecosystem that has served tri-state viewers since the mid-1980s remains in place with its core local news offerings intact.
