All channels provide rolling news coverage 24 hours a day, focusing primarily on regions of the metro area outside Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

This has been used as a marketing tool against customers signing up for Verizon FiOS, or satellite providers DirecTV or Dish Network, which are available in many of the areas News 12 covers.

Unlike News 12, FiOS1's website was not behind the paywall and was open to all users, with the exception of its live broadcast (which was only offered to FiOS customers).

[6][7] Altice has departed from Cablevision's long-standing policy of ensuring that News 12 remained exclusive to cable.

In July 2019, Altice began to simulcast News 12 on Atlantic City station WACP between 6 AM and 9 AM every weekday morning.