Weatherscan

Weatherscan
Weatherscan logo used since March 2016
Launched	March 31, 1999 (1999-03-31) (as Weatherscan Local) February 2003 (2003-02) (as Weatherscan)
Owned by	TWCC Holding Corp, consortium owned by NBCUniversal (Comcast), The Blackstone Group, Bain Capital
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Slogan	All Local, All The Time
Country	United States
Language	English
Broadcast area	Selected areas nationwide
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Formerly called	Weatherscan Local (1999–2003)
Sister channel(s)	The Weather Channel
Website	TWC webpage
Availability
Satellite
Dish Network	Check local listings for channels
Cable
Available on certain U.S. cable systems	Consult your local cable provider for channel availability

Weatherscan is an American digital cable and satellite television network that is owned by a consortium owned in turn by NBCUniversal and investment firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. A spinoff of The Weather Channel, Weatherscan features uninterrupted local weather information in graphical format on a continuous loop that is generated by an IntelliStar unit installed at the cable provider's headend; unlike The Weather Channel, Weatherscan does not feature on-air talent of any kind.

The channel launched on March 31, 1999, as Weatherscan Local. Originally, Weatherscan operated five collective services for local weather information: Weatherscan Local featured animated weather information with a complete local weather segment every two minutes; Weatherscan Radar featured a continuous Doppler radar loop, along with severe weather advisories when warranted; Weatherscan Plus – which debuted on April 30, 1999 – featured activity-specific forecasts for golf, skiing, boating, beachgoing, and business and leisure travel; Weatherscan Plus Traffic – which launched on May 31, 1999 – featured the same format as Weatherscan Plus with the inclusion of traffic information; Weatherscan Espanol, which launched with Weatherscan Plus Traffic, was a Spanish-language version of Weatherscan Plus allowing regional or international weather information.

The IntelliStar unit used by Weatherscan is configured differently from that used by The Weather Channel, featuring different graphics and additional forecast products, with information running on a continuous basis. Vocal Local, a pre-recorded narration function installed in the IntelliStar system – which utilizes a different narration track than that used on The Weather Channel's Local on the 8s forecast segments, featuring a female announcer – introduces several of the segments.

Weatherscan is available in many major markets around the United States, though its availability is not as widespread as that of parent network The Weather Channel. Many cable providers offer Weatherscan on their digital tiers, although a few providers carry Weatherscan on their basic tier (where The Weather Channel is also offered). In 2011, Dish Network became the first satellite provider to add Weatherscan.