Charter Communications said it has reached a deal to expand carriage of several African-American themed networks — AspireTV, Black News Channel, Impact Network, Revolt TV, The Africa Channel, TV One and Cleo TV — to its pay TV customers subscribing to the Spectrum TV Select video tier across its entire 41-state footprint. The rollout is expected to be completed by the end of June.

Spectrum TV Select is Charter’s most popular basic programming tier with about 125 channels, and is priced at $49.99 per month for the first 12 months. 

“Charter is committed to delivering programming that reflects the diverse interests of our customers, and these networks offer a wide variety of African American-themed news, lifestyle, entertainment and inspirational content,” Charter executive VP of programming acquisition Tom Montemagno said in a press release. “By including these channels on Spectrum TV Select we will significantly increase the networks’ potential audience while providing millions of our TV customers with even more choice, entertainment and value – at no extra cost.”

The channels were available on pricier Charter tiers in the past, and includes at least one channel that is likely to disappear in the future. In March, Black News Channel CEO Princell Hair said the network was shutting down in a memo to employees. However, at the moment BNC is still on the air. 

“We applaud Charter for its commitment to expanding access to diverse programming and making sure more networks that cater to Black audiences like Revolt are introduced to millions of Spectrum TV Select customers across the country,” Revolt TV CEO Detavio Samuels said in a press release. “We are focused on building the largest Black-owned media company that changes the narrative of Black culture, and carriers like Charter play a big role in helping Revolt achieve this goal by amplifying content that elevates the culture across categories.”

Among the channels included in the agreement are:

AspireTV: The television network that celebrates and reflects Black culture and urban lifestyle. AspireTV offers reality series, specials and independent films as well as dramas, contemporary comedies and documentaries that connect with and reflect its viewers.

Black News Channel: The only provider of 24/7 multiplatform programming dedicated to covering the unique perspectives, challenges and successes of Black and Brown communities. BNC delivers live news programming each weekday.

Impact Network: Founded in Detroit by Bishop Wayne T. Jackson and Dr. Beverly Y. Jackson, and is the fastest growing, 100% African American, independently owned Christian network in the United States. 

Revolt TV: A leading Black-owned and operated multimedia platform founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2013, and servicing content 24/7 across digital, linear, and live media channels. The platform produces rich content and original material with the biggest names in Hip Hop, along with reports of breaking news, current events, trends and announcements within the Black cultural movement and Hip-Hop world. 

The Africa Channel: A showcase for English language television series, feature films, documentaries and news about Africa and its influence on the world. 

TV One Networks: The hub of Black culture and entertainment with a broad offering of original programming and classic series, serving both diverse audiences for TV One and Cleo TV. Each network has a unique audience that serves viewers with fan favorites. Both networks are solely owned by Urban One, Inc., the largest African American-owned and operated multi-media company.

“We are excited Charter has expanded carriage of TV One Networks across its footprint,” said TV One and Cleo TV president Michelle Rice in a press release. “They are a great partner and like us, Charter recognizes the value of offering greater accessibility to diverse content that equitably and authentically represents the demographics of the viewers and communities we mutually serve.” ■

TV One sister network Cleo TV has secured rights to episodes from the YouTube digital series Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix, according to network officials.

Cleo TV will air 80 episodes from the series -- which was originally launched in 2017 from lifestyle entertainment company Kin -- beginning in October. Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix helps viewers solve little dilemmas from quick ideas for a weeknight meal to beauty tips, said the network. 

The series, hosted by actress Tia Mowry (Sister, Sister Netflix’s Family Reunion), has accumulated more than 280 million views on social media. 

“Our network prides itself on offering diverse, trendsetting and inspirational content,” said Cleo TV and TV One president Michelle Rice in a statement. “We look forward to building an outstanding partnership with Tia and Kin and are thrilled to introduce Quick Fix to our audience.”

Added Kin CEO Michael Wayne: “We’re thrilled to bring Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix to Cleo TV.  Through a collaborative effort with Tia, the Kin team has built Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix into a franchise that has appealed to millions of viewers across social platforms.”

Read Also: TV One Pushes the Power of Representation

Urban One has elevated Michelle Rice to the position of TV One and Cleo TV president, the company announced Tuesday.

Rice, who has served as general manager of the Black targeted TV One and millennial women of color-targeted Cleo TV, will continue full oversight of both channels, said Alfred Liggins, president and CEO of Urban One, which owns both services.

"Michelle's dynamic leadership has strengthened network partnerships, developed strategic alliances, and expanded distribution for both TV One and Cleo TV. All of which has uniquely positioned our networks to navigate the changing broadcast environment and catapult them to even greater success in the future," said Liggins.

Rice, a Multichannel News Wonder Woman, was one of TV One’s original employees. Since being named general manager in 2018, Rice has expanded the network’s existing relationship with AT&T to include the launch of Cleo TV across Direct TV, AT&T TV, and AT&T Now. She also presided over a carriage agreement with streaming service Philo TV, the network’s first virtual MVPD distribution deal, according to Urban One. Rice also spearheaded the launch of Cleo TV in 2019.

Black News Channel has launched on leading satellite-TV platform DirecTV, which said it also will launch Cleo TV before the end of the year to greater diversify its program offerings. 

BNC, which overall launched in February, was added to channel 342 and to the DirecTV app on Aug. 31, AT&T-owned DirecTV said. “AT&T is committed to delivering programming that meets our customers’ diverse needs,” Rob Thun, EVP and Chief Content Officer, AT&T Communications, said in a release.

BNC said later it also will be available to stream on AT&T TV and AT&T Now. "News consumers in urban markets around the country with DirecTV will now have access to our uniquely specific content," Princell Hair, BNC's CEO, said in a statement. "We look forward to our relationship and the new access that this provides to our consumers.” 

Launched overall in 2019, Cleo TV is owned by Urban One, parent of TV One, which already is carried on AT&T's TV platforms including DirecTV (channel 328). Michelle Rice, TV One and Cleo TV general manager, said in a release: “We are excited about our continued partnership with AT&T as we further the reach and connectivity of Cleo TV.”

“We continue to build on our content offering and are very pleased to launch Black News Channel and Cleo TV," Thun also said in AT&T's release. "These additions further strengthen our diverse slate of content, and we’re excited to bring the networks’ important perspectives and unique programming to our channel portfolio.”

TV One's launch of African-American female millennial-targeted cable network Cleo TV earlier this year added to the industry momentum for the development of TV content created by and for multicultural audiences. 

TV One general manager Michelle Rice discusses Cleo TV as well as the growing demand for multicultural programming in a new MCN Original Videos segment. 

TV One’s upstart, African-American female targeted network Cleo TV has signed a carriage deal with the Philo streaming service.

Philo TV subscribers can now access Cleo TV, which launched in January on Comcast and Charter systems, marking the network’s first vMVPD launch, according to TV One, which owns Cleo TV.

“The Philo agreement marks CLEO TV's first OTT deal and fits our strategy to widely distribute content to our target audience across multiple distribution platforms and screens," said TV One and CLEO TV General Manager Michelle Rice in a statement. "We are excited about the commitment Philo has made to offer fresh and diverse content."

Added Philo CEO Andrew McCollum: "We built Philo to be the best TV experience available and with the addition of CLEO TV, this is one more way we can reach that goal."