USTV is a news channel that broadcasts up-to-date events in Empire City, New Marais, and Seattle. While they originally covered up stories about Conduits and denied the idea of super-powered humans, they openly covered Conduit matters and the Empire Event.
Seven years after the Empire Event, USTV became more involved in Conduit matters and was able to tape an entire fight between two Conduits (Delsin Rowe and Brooke Augustine).
Overview
Empire City
The broadcasts paint a decidedly happy image of life in Empire City after the blast, with reports praising the government's "extensive relief efforts," information about the facilities the quarantine guards enjoyed, and claims that the situation has largely returned to normal. In addition, the USTV reports credited Cole's many achievements within the city to the government and military. it is unknown whether USTV was misinformed or if they were deliberately spreading lies as government propaganda.
New Marais
During Cole's time in New Marais, there were further USTV broadcasts, most relating to the Empire Event and the unnatural phenomenon destroying the country's eastern coastline, even mentioning Cole once. They also reported on Vermaak 88's increased profits, the spread of the Ray Field Plague, and the actions of Joseph Bertrand III, who also issued his reports via television to warn the citizens of New Marais about Cole MacGrath and other "deviants". In the final broadcast, the announcer explains that she will take a leave of absence to spend time with her family before cutting the interview.
Seattle
USTV returns in inFamous: Second Son with a different news anchor, Charles Sandahl, posting broadcasts about the D.U.P. and current events in Seattle. During the first battle between Delsin Rowe and Brooke Augustine, USTV sends a helicopter and caught some footage (although not very clear) which is reported on by another reporter, Kurt Wyatt. Due to Delsin's multiple powers, they believed there were more Conduits during that fight.
Trivia
- The USTV anchorwoman is one of only two characters in the game to appear in live-action, the other being Dallas from the Voice of Survival.
- In inFamous 2, the news broadcasts are recorded in real life and aren't just animated from scratch, while the broadcasts in inFamous are pre-rendered.
- The broadcasts appear at the top right part of the screen whenever they start in inFamous 2, but can also be seen on TVs around the city in both games.
- A broadcast can be seen during "Aftermath," in which it is claimed a cure has been developed for the plague. A statement similar to those is heard inFamous, where the Government takes credit for Cole's achievements in Empire City.
- The broadcasters in inFamous 2 state that Cole was in his late teens before the mission "Wolfe Hunt," while afterward, they claim he is in his early 20s; this could either be a dialogue error or just misinformed.
- Although USTV sent two news helicopters to New Marais and were able to witness a huge monster roaming the city, there is no broadcast about the incident.