Byron Allen, founder and CEO of Allen Media Group, offered the keynote during the Next TV Summit at the Sofitel in Beverly Hills. Interviewed by Tim Hanlon, founder and CEO of The Vertere Group, Allen spoke about his start in television as a teen, his shift to industry titan, and how he sees the TV landscape today.

The interview was part of Broadcasting + Cable/Multichannel News/NextTV's LA TV Week.

Allen spoke of moving to Los Angeles as a child, his mother talking her way into work at NBC, and getting his start in comedy. Performances as a teen at the Comedy Store led to working on the writing team of Jimmie Walker, star of Good Times, with the likes of David Letterman and Jay Leno.

“I learned how to write jokes and create funny,” he said.

A co-host role on Real People, still in his teen years, followed. “It gave birth to everything you see and know about reality television,” said an ebullient Allen of the NBC unscripted show.

Allen shared how he grew to see the industry as “business show” more than show business in his shift from talent to ownership. “If you learn the business you can do as many shows as you want,” he said.

Still, selling syndicated shows to stations in the early days was a grind. “There were days I didn’t eat,” he said. “There were days they turned off my phone.”

Slowly, stations and advertisers got on board. “Dialing and smiling, smiling and dialing,” is how Allen recalled it.

Allen’s portfolio includes Entertainment Studios, The Weather Channel, TV stations and regional sports networks. He spoke of gobbling up URLs with a .tv suffix years back, including comedy.tv, cars.tv and pets.tv, and still sees the digital landscape as "a huge opportunity."

Allen singled out Local Now, essentially a throw-in in the Weather Channel acquisition, as “one of the greatest gifts ever from the digital gods.” He mentioned investing $100 million of his own capital “to reposition the asset” and make it AVOD, not SVOD.

“It is growing beyond my wildest imagination,” said Allen.

With several decades of television experience under his belt, Allen said the business continues to offer “an enormous untapped space,” with lots of revenue potential for savvy operators. ■

Byron Allen’s media companies have sued Nielsen, seeking billions of dollars in damages for what they called the measurement company“s “fraudulent misrepresentation” and “fraud by concealment.”

Allen, whose Allen Media Group properties include 27 broadcast stations, cable networks including The Weather Channel and numerous online and streaming video outlets, claims that Nielsen’s panel system for estimating viewership is unreliable for some of its networks. 

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Circuit Court in Cook County, Illinois, further alleges that Nielsen concealed these facts and thereby caused AMG units Entertainment Studios and The Weather Group to pay millions in fees. The lawsuit identifies several other networks that similarly received fundamentally unreliable services from Nielsen. 

Also: Busy Byron Allen Wants To Be Big, but Doesn’t Want To Be a Unicorn

Allen claims Nielsen’s actions resulted in damages including millions of dollars paid to Nielsen for “shoddy and unreliable” services, million of dollars in lost ad revenue and profits, and lost business value and other “consequential harms estimated to be in the billions of dollars.” 

The suit says Allen is seeking compensatory, special and consequential damages to be determined at trial. 

Also: Networks Ask Nielsen to Halt Release of 'Big Data' Numbers Until After Upfronts

Nielsen declined to comment on the suit.

“The industry has suffered billions of dollars in losses, and we can no longer afford these damages. Nielsen needs to quickly address these issues,” Allen said. “If not, I highly expect that Nielsen will soon face a $10 billion-plus class-action lawsuit.” 

Nielsen has been under heavy criticism from its network clients lately. It is also reportedly in talks to be acquired by private equity groups for $15 billion.

Allen has been more than willing to take on big opponents in court. Last year he filed a $10 billion suit against McDonald’s Corp., claiming the burger chain discriminates against minority-owned media companies.  The suit was dismissed, then reinstated by a federal court judge in January.  

Allen also sued Charter Communications for $10 billion in a discrimination lawsuit when the cable company wouldn’t carry his cable channels. The suit was “resolved and withdrawn” in February and the networks are currently being carried by Charter.

In June of 2020, Allen resolved a suit against Comcast that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Comcast wound up carrying The Weather Channel, other Entertainment Studios Channels, including Comedy.TV and JusticeCentral.tv, and 14 broadcast television stations owned by Allen. 

 Allen previously sued Nielsen in 2020, claiming Nielsen’s “predatory pricing” resulted in the Weather Channel being overcharged by $425,000 per month. That suit is still pending.

In the new Nielsen lawsuit, Allen’s companies said they first engaged with Nielsen in 2007 to measure syndicated programming created by Allen’s Entertainment Studios unit.

Entertainment Studios launched several cable networks in 2009, and Nielsen aggressively sought to have those measured by Nielsen as well. According to the suit, Nielsen officials in 2016 told Allen and his colleagues that the Entertainment Studio networks “had attained sufficient distribution and viewership for Nielsen to reliably rate them.”

But, the suit alleges: “Nielsen did not tell Entertainment Studios the truth — that, in reality, its ratings services were not reliable for networks like those owned by Entertainment Studios. At the time, Entertainment Studios did not have access to information that would show that Nielsen’s data was unfounded and false.”

The suit said Nielsen, in internal reviews, knew that “when distribution for a network is limited in the number of subscribers, the sample errors in Nielsen’s reports increase dramatically making the service fundamentally unreliable.”  

Numbers for Allen’s The Weather Channel were also unreliable, according to the suit. “By 2021, the sample error was over 50% for most of the timeslots reported by Nielsen for The Weather Channel. In other words, more often than not, Nielsen could not report data for the Weather Channel that had a minimum degree of reliability,” the suit said.

Allen said Nielsen’s issues led to its “dramatically underreporting” viewership of The Weather Channel. 

In the lawsuit, Allen refers to criticism that Nielsen’s numbers have received by others in the industry. 

It noted that the VAB, which represents networks and distributors, accused Nielsen of underreporting viewing during the pandemic because of problems Nielsen had maintaining the quality of its panel. The Media Rating Council confirmed that Nielsen’s viewer numbers were low.

The MRC subsequently removed its accreditation for Neilsen’s national measurement system.

More recently Nielsen has admitted that it had not included all out-of home viewing in its ratings numbers.

Nielsen has been working on Nielsen One, a new system that will add big data to its panel of about 40,000 households as the basis for its audience estimates. 

The new system was made necessary as the media landscape has become more complicated, as Allen Media Group noted in its lawsuit.

“Nielsen’s panel system may have worked decades ago when there were a handful of networks that could be viewed only over the air on a television set,“ the suit said. ”With changes in the television industry, viewers now have hundreds of channels to choose from. They can watch video by subscribing with distributors, such as satellite or cable providers, or stream over the Internet through services and apps that can be viewed on Smart TVs, computers, cellphones and tablets. This fragmentation of viewership has eroded the reliability of Nielsen’s panel system. Nielsen has known about the problems for years but has not invested to make its ratings system reliable and up to date. “ ■

Media mogul Byron Allen said he’s excited about the NAB Show’s return to Las Vegas, about broadcasting and digital media and about the 40th anniversary of Allen Media Group-owned The Weather Channel. 

Allen’s company owns 27 TV stations along with pay TV channels including The Weather Channel, which is launching a Spanish-language outlet as a free streaming channel later this year. Climate change awareness makes the service important, he said. “The Weather Channel is leading the charge and leading the conversation in ‘let’s work together and let’s combat climate change and global warming,’ ” he said in a recent interview. 

Allen, an NAB Television Board member, will be appearing at a fireside chat with outgoing NAB president and CEO Gordon H. Smith on April 27. He’s also on an April 26 panel about new technology enhancing storytelling on The Weather Channel. And he is receiving a leadership award at a breakfast event at the show. “It’s great. I mean, I love it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Also: NAB Show Preview: Live Event Rolls Back Into Las Vegas

Allen was reportedly interested in buying Tegna, which recently agreed to be sold to private equity-backed Standard General for $8.6 billion including $3.2 billion in assumed debt. Allen said he could not comment on Tegna but that he remains interested in buying TV stations, especially affiliates of Big Four networks. “We’re on the hunt, big time,” he said. 

AMG has been launching free ad-supported streaming services, including Sports.TV, TheGrio.TV and HBCUGo.TV, along with Local Now and The Weather Channel en Español, launching in the second or third quarter. Broadcasting and cable outlets including his Entertainment Studios Networks still interest AMG’s founder, chairman and CEO, though.  

Also: NAB Show 2022: Graham Media Group CEO Emily Barr Sets Convention Expectations

“And also, I have to tell you, the industry is appreciating Black-owned media,” Allen said. “I would say 95% of them want to lean in. There’s that 5% that tries to minimize, which is why I sued McDonald’s for $10 billion.” That suit, claiming McDonald’s has discriminated against Black-owned media companies (including The Weather Channel and ES Networks) in ad buying, is working its way through federal courts.

“Listen,” Allen said. “I think that this industry has a huge opportunity to be the leader, make an example and show the rest of corporate America how to do it and how to help us all be better and achieve something that really is long overdue. It’s something we need to put behind us and do the right way and make us all better and really lean in to make sure every American is successful, and I do mean every American, young, old, Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, everybody.” ■

Tim Krass, a cable-programming affiliate executive who served more than a decade at regional sports network Prime Ticket (from 1985) and then 14 years at Fox/Liberty Networks, among other ventures, died on January 14 of bile duct cancer at age 67 in Los Angeles.

Friends and former colleagues said they were saddened and stunned. His illness was only diagnosed in late November, soon after learning he had a publishing deal for a book he was writing about overcoming depression and addiction, in hopes of helping other people struggling with those issues. "He planned to share his experiences to help others navigate life’s curveballs," Janice Arouh, a friend and former colleague at Fox who is now the president of network distribution
at Entertainment Studios Networks and The Weather Group, said in a Facebook tribute.

A Detroit native and avid sports fan, Krass was proud to have worked for Prime Ticket, the RSN home of the Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Kings among other teams, and then for Fox/Liberty Networks, the precursor to Fox Cable Networks, and of launching Fox Sports Detroit, Arouh said. Later, he was senior VP at early streaming provider Intertainer and executive VP of affiliate relations at Univision Television Group. From late 2013 to March 2017 he was VP of affiliate sales, Western Region, for niche network provider Luken Communications. Another colleague at Fox, Sean Riley, said Krass "left us far too soon" and that he "will be missed by so many of us who he impacted in the media business. An incredibly talented executive, Tim was a great mentor with a really big heart."

He also deserves credit for hardball distribution tactics that caused headaches for cable operators while at Fox and are still in use today, Arouh said. "Tim invented the playbook for blackouts and surcharges and regional sports networks leverage," she said, winning him few fans at multichannel video programming distributors, though he was just doing what was best for the networks he represented. 

Marc Krass, his brother, said Tim had a special connection to the Kevin Love Fund.  "Kevin Love is a star player with the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team who established this charity to support mental health—the perfect combination of Tim’s lifelong passion for sports and his work in recent years encouraging men to overcome their social hesitancies and seek help when they experience mental health issues. The fund has established a dedicated page on its website for people to make contributions in Tim’s memory." Here is the link to that page: https://www.eifoundation.org/partners/the-kevin-love-fund/?form=FUNBAMSKYSP.

A sunset memorial (7:45-9:45 PM) is planned in Krass's memory at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey (11999 Vista Del Mar) on Saturday, February 26, in an area of the parking lot where there are picnic tables and fire pits. Former Fox Cable executive Lindsay Gardner and public relations maven Bob Gold will act as MCs. It's a come one, come all event, Gold said, bring a story and your own wood to burn, plus chairs and blankets. If it rains, the backup date is Saturday, March 5.

"It will be interesting to see who shows because Tim walked in many different worlds," Gold said.  ■

A federal court judge in California has reversed a ruling dismissing media mogul Byron Allen’s $10 billion lawsuit charging that McDonald’s discriminated against Black-owned media in buying advertising.

In a new order entered Friday (January 21), Judge Fernando Olguin denied McDonald’s motion to dismiss without prejudice and said McDonald’s has to answer Allen’s complaint by January 27.

The judge said the ruling dismissing the case relied on materials that shouldn’t have been considered by the court.

Also: Busy Byron Allen Wants To Be Big, but Doesn’t Want To Be a Unicorn

According to the lawsuit, originally filed in May, McDonald’s intentionally discriminated against Allen’s Entertainment Studios and Weather Group through a pattern of racial stereotyping and refusals to contract.

“We look forward to presenting our enormous evidence in court, which will prove the systemic racism at McDonald’s,” Allen said. “And I firmly believe the board at McDonald’s should fire CEO Chris Kempczinski immediately.

Allen’s lawsuit says that McDonald’s buys most of its advertising as part of a general market group and has a separate tier for Black businesses with a smaller budget and less favorable pricing.

About the time the lawsuit was filed, McDonald’s announced that it planned to increase the ad dollars it spends with diverse-owned media companies from 4% currently to 10% by 2024. Spending with Black-owned properties will increase from 2% to 5%. ■

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Television said it renewed four if its syndicated weekly series from The Weather Channel for the fall of 2022 and fall 2023.

The series--Storm of Suspicion, Weather Gone Viral, SOS: How to Survive and Top 10 are currently in production at The Weather Channel and distributed to local broadcasters by Entertainment Studios Television.

The shows are cleared in 99% of the country and appear on stations owned by station groups including Fox , E.W. Scripps, Nexstar Media, Gray Television, CBS, Hearst Television, Cox Media Group, Sunbeam Television, Hubbard Broadcasting, Tegna, Graham Media, Weigel Broadcasting, Morgan Murphy Media, Mission Broadcasting, Lockwood Broadcasting, Block Communications, Waypoint Media, Sarkes Tarzian Inc., Manship Media, Vision Alaska, McKinnon Broadcasting, Morris Multimedia and Allen Media Broadcasting.

“Weather is the number one news driver for local television stations,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios. “Storm of Suspicion, Weather Gone Viral, SOS: How to Survive and Top 10 are four outstanding series from one of the most trusted and respected brands in all of television, The Weather Channel. These shows are exceptionally compelling and appeal to all demographics. Our station partners realize the enormous value these series offer to complement their local weather coverage.”

Storm of Suspicion is about situations in which weather played a role in solving or covering up a crime.

Weather Gone Viral features video of dangerous and extreme weather events shared online.

SOS: How To Survive tells the tales of people who are lost, trapped or mission, with lessons on how to avoid mistakes that lead to deadly situations.

Top 10 is about heroes, record setters, extreme adventurers and the world’s weather. ■

Byron Allen’s $10 billion lawsuit charging that McDonald’s discriminated against his Black-owned media company by not buying ads from it was dismissed by a federal judge Tuesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Olguin said Allen’s companies did not offer enough evidence to show that the fast-food chain “intentionally and purposefully discriminated against them.”

Allen’s lawyers said they would be back with more evidence.

“At the invitation of Judge Olguin, we will amend the complaint to add greater detail,” said Skip Miller, partner at the Los Angeles law firm Miller Barondess. “And when we do so, we firmly believe that the case will go forward.“

Allen’s Allen Media Group owns The Weather Channel, the Entertainment Studios cable channels and a group of TV stations.

In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Allen claimed that McDonald’s refused to advertise on his cable networks. Of the $1.6 billion McDonald’s spends on TV advertising, less than $5 million goes to Black-owned media, the suit said.

After the suit was filed in May, McDonald’s said it plans in increase the ad dollars it spends with diverse-owned media companies from 4% to 10% by 2024. Spending with Black-owned properties will increase from 2% to 5%.

Last month, Allen called on McDonald's to fire CEO Chris Kempczinski. Allen accused Kempczinski of fostering a racist culture at the burger chain following an incident in which Kempczinski sent a text message to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about the shooting deaths of two children in the city. In the text message, he said the parents had “failed those kids.” ■

Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios said it will launch We the People with Judge Lauren Lake, a syndicated daily court series, in the fall of 2022.

With a “firm go” from the studio, the show will be made available to TV stations as well as global cable networks and digital distribution platforms.

Judge Lake previously appeared in MGM Television’s Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court.

“I am very excited about We the People with Judge Lauren Lake and I’m thrilled to be working with Byron Allen,” said Lake. “Byron’s creative vision and commitment to creating high-quality television programs and networks is unparalleled in this industry. I am enthusiastic and highly confident that we will deliver another first-class television court series.”  

The show is the 68th from Entertainment Studios, part of Allen Media Group. 

“We at Allen Media Group are beyond elated to add We The People With Judge Lauren Lake to our already stellar portfolio of court shows,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios. “Emmy Award-winning Judge Lauren Lake is an outstanding and charismatic television host. We are extremely confident that our newest court series with Judge Lake will be very successful for years to come as she joins our outstanding roster of talent, including Judge Kevin Ross, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Judge Christina Perez, Judge Karen Mills-Francis, and Judge Glenda Hatchett.” 

We the People with Judge Lauren Lake is produced and distributed by AMG/Entertainment Studios.   

Byron Allen understands the power of multiplication. In the current world of streaming, subscription video-on-demand and direct-to-consumer offerings, multiplication is everything. When you charge tens of million people even just a few dollars a month, that math adds up quickly.

Allen made his money in the early days of syndication, sitting at his dining-room table, making phone call after phone call and getting on planes most days of every month. But after years of sheer hustle, with Entertainment Studios’ syndicated shows adding up their ratings in every market in America, the money started flowing. 

In the past five years, Allen has metamorphosed from a peddler of syndicated shows to a media mogul after surprising the world with his $300 million acquisition of The Weather Channel in 2018, and then following that up by purchasing TV stations (notably including ABC affiliate KITV in Honolulu, one of 16 Allen-owned Big Four affiliated stations in 12 markets) and aggressively going after legacy station groups such as Tribune Media and Tegna. Looking ahead, Allen sees only expansion, with plans to spend at least $10 billion to acquire more Big Four network TV affiliates and to invest billions in his nascent streaming business and reach a global audience. 

Beyond business, Allen has socio-economic issues on his mind — including climate change, racial injustice and economic inclusion — and he’s working hard to make an impact in those areas as well.

MCN contributor Paige Albiniak spoke with Allen, who is the keynote speaker at Future’s CultureX Conversations virtual event on Tuesday, March 16. 

MCN: You sued cable giants Comcast and Charter in February 2015 for a total of $40 billion, with you alleging that their decisions to not carry your cable networks amounted to racial discrimination. Those lawsuits were ultimately settled, but did you feel that they achieved their ends?

BA: I can’t speak to those lawsuits anymore because they’ve been settled. But when I filed my lawsuits against the cable industry, it was really to start the process of creating economic inclusion.

Now, we’re making sure that Madison Avenue does its part. I have found Madison Avenue, quite frankly, to be very racist in its behavior and in its lack of commitment to equity inclusion as it relates to Black-owned media. Black-owned media pretty much doesn’t exist. That’s 110% because of the institutionalized racism on Madison Avenue and among Madison Avenue’s clients. 

What we’ve said to Madison Avenue is that Black-owned media is completely extinct. Right now, I’m the only African-American in America in 2021 that owns a Big Four network affiliate. As a country, and as an industry, that is not a statement that should be accurate in 2021. I’m the first African-American to buy a mainstream cable network in America. Once again, as a country, we shouldn’t be proud of that. We shouldn’t be saying that in 2021.

A lot of that is because Madison Avenue hasn’t leaned in. What I’ve asked Madison Avenue today to do is, I’ve said, look, as we represent 14% of this nation, we have every right to ask for 14% of your budget, which is economic parity. And we’re not asking for economic parity, we’re asking for economic inclusion. We’re asking for a mere 2%, a minimum, and I do emphasize the word minimum, of 2%, to go to Black-owned media, not Black-targeted, but Black-owned. That’s a big difference. That creates a real unique point of view, creating diversity and inclusion while improving democracy. 

Coca-Cola and McDonald’s aren’t doing business with me. Spark Ad Agency isn’t doing business with me. The litigators have already sent the letters out, letting them know that we’re preparing to sue them for billions of dollars. When Coca-Cola and McDonald’s aren’t doing business with me, then there’s no chance that Black-owned media will ever exist. So, in the same way I sued the cable industry for $40 billion, I will now start to sue Madison Avenue and their clients for $100-plus billion. Because what they’re doing is egregious. And when you think about the amount of money that they pull out of the Black community while not doing business with the Black community, it’s economic genocide, is really what it is. It’s economic genocide. 

MCN: What else do you think corporate America needs to do to promote diversity and inclusion? 

BA: What I would say to white corporate America is you don’t need to have a chief diversity officer. More importantly you need to — you, the chairman, the chairwoman, the leader — you need to become the chief diversity investment officer. Make sure you’re investing in people who don’t look like you and fostering greater diversity. Make sure that you are investing in women and Asian people and Hispanic people and gay people and African-American people. You need to be the leader of that.

MCN: What has the pandemic meant for Allen Media Group and Entertainment Studios? 

BA: The growth because of the pandemic has been what we would call meaningful. As people went into lockdown, they went home, and national and local news became very valuable. And that happens to be the business we’re in. So we’ve got, obviously, local news. National news has been very key in the battle against COVID-19, but also as we deal with climate change. 

Our cable networks are the fastest-growing cable networks in terms of distribution, simply because we didn’t have very much distribution to begin with. So we’ve been able to grow our distribution to where it’s something that advertisers are leaning in on. We’ve gotten a number of our networks into 40-, 50-plus-million homes, which, outside of The Weather Channel, is key. 

Our syndicated shows have been growing, and because a number of the studios have abandoned first-run syndication, because they are taking their content and putting it on their streaming platforms, we’ve been able to really help step in and fill that void for stations.

And our streaming has grown really in a significant way because we have Local Now. Local Now is a really unique streaming platform because it uses unique proprietary software and artificial intelligence to deliver local news, weather, sports and traffic in real time, geo-fenced to your ZIP code. And that is a one-in-a-kind streaming service; no one else is able to provide that level of technology. It’s really something that has done extremely well for us. We have seen as much as 60% growth month over month.

When I bought Local Now, it came inside The Weather Channel, so I got Local Now for free. Within 18 months of buying Local Now, Altice bought Cheddar for what we believe to be a couple hundred million. Comcast bought Xumo for what we believe to be a couple hundred million. Viacom bought Pluto for $340 million and Fox bought Tubi for $440 million. 

So we now have four comps that say Local Now is worth quite a bit of capital. When the insurrection happened at the nation’s capital, our traffic shot up significantly because people were able to go to Local Now and watch it in real time. You need to have an app like that that responds to the moment. 

When I bought it, it didn’t have movies, TV shows, documentaries and channels. We now have all of that. I’ve spent the last three years building it out, evolving it. And we have some wonderful channels there. Johnny Carson has a channel there. Bloomberg has a channel, Kevin Hart, America’s Funniest Home Videos all have channels there. People magazine has an amazing channel there. We’ve replicated the cable ecosystem, which is costing $150 to $250 a month per subscriber, and it’s free. 

MCN: What does 60% month-over-month growth look like in terms of users? 

BA: The last report I got was we had about 5.8 million monthly active users, and that’s with little or no promotion. Now we’re going to start really promoting it. 

MCN: Even though we just talked about Local Now, what you really bought was The Weather Channel. We just had this huge weather event across the country, resulting in an electric-grid meltdown in Texas. What do events like that mean for The Weather Channel? 

BA: Well, you know, it all goes up in a significant way, because unfortunately we are dealing with global warming and climate change. Global warming is very real. Climate change is very real. And it’s the greatest threat to human beings on planet Earth. 

When I first bought The Weather Channel, the network was avoiding speaking about climate change because half the people didn’t believe in it, and the other half did, and they didn’t want to offend anybody.

I called all the scientists into a room and I said, “Show of hands, please tell us if we’re in trouble, if climate change is real and a threat to human beings.” Without exception, every scientist in that room raised their hand. So I decided to go with the scientists. And I said, look, we’re not going to be Switzerland here. We’re not going to pretend like this isn’t happening. And we’re not going to worry about offending people simply because we’re telling the truth. 

One of the first specials we did was called Race to Save the Planet. After it aired, the research department did some research on the special and found that 85% of our viewers really appreciated the information and wanted more, because they knew we were being honest.

We are very committed to making sure that we are delivering the best-in-class news because that’s essential to making sure that we have a strong and well-informed society and a true democracy.

MCN: Beyond Local Now, what are your plans for streaming, considering that you own all of these channels and all of this content? 

BA: We’re going to invest very heavily in our streaming platforms. We’re better prepared than anybody to go direct to the consumer, because we own all the premium dot-TVs and have the content to go with them. That’s why we own all the premium dot-TVs, such as cars.tv, comedy. tv, Pets.tv and on and on. We’re better positioned than anybody to go direct to the consumer with over 4 billion worldwide connected devices. 

We own 100% of our content, and most of it was shot without a host. We use voiceover, which means you can use artificial intelligence and put that content in 200 different languages.

If you look at broadcast TV in the ’60s, ’70s, it was broad. And then in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, it became focused, and that’s when you got MTV and BET and VH1 and Lifetime and Nickelodeon and CNBC or whatever. Like then, I believe streaming is going to become focused pretty quickly. And people are going to say I have Netflix and Disney Plus and Amazon, but I also want Comedy.tv. I want Sports.tv. I want Cars.tv. 

You’re going to start to see us really invest heavily in our direct-to-consumer streaming content. We’ve been sitting on these URLs for about 15 years waiting for this streaming explosion. 

MCN: Would you take those networks and put them on Local Now? Or would you build a new streaming platform? 

BA: Local Now will be on its own and be an aggregator of everything free. And then some of these services will be subscription video-on-demand streaming direct to the consumer for $4.99 a month.

MCN: You’ve also been saying for several months now that you intend to spend $10 billion acquiring Big Four network affiliates. How is that looking? 

BA: We are 110% committed to investing approximately $10 billion to buy Big Four network affiliates. And we will do that within 24 months, if not this year.

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks said it has “resolved and withdrawn” its lawsuit against Charter Communications.

The one-sentence joint statement from Entertainment Studios and Charter did not elaborate on whether Allen’s TV channels would now be carried by Charter or if any money changed hands.

Allen sued Charter in 2016 claiming that the cable company’s refusal to carry Entertainment Studio’s channels was racially motivated. Allen was seeking $10 billion in damages.

Also Read: Byron Allen Buys This TV, Light TV Nets From MGM

A Federal District court ruled against a motion by Charter to dismiss the suit last August. 

The judge, George Wu, said that Allen had met the requirements for filing discrimination suits and said that pre-trial disclosures should proceed and discovery could begin.

“Charter once again tried to claim in a court of law that the First Amendment gives them the right to discriminate against Black people. This is a despicable, racist legal position, and I’m highly-confident Charter CEO Tom Rutledge and the Charter Board of Directors will be held fully accountable,” Allen, the founder and CEO of Entertainment Studios, said at the time. 

In June of 2020, Allen resolved a suit against Comcast that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Comcast wound up carrying The Weather Channel, other Entertainment Studios Channels, including Comedy.TV and JusticeCentral.tv, and 14 broadcast television stations owned by Allen.

“We’re excited to begin a new phase of partnership with Comcast and Xfinity, including the distribution of our cable channels for the first time on Xfinity platforms,” Allen said in a statement at the time.

Entertainment Studios has renewed court show America’s Court with Judge Ross for seven more seasons, taking the daily half-hour court strip through fall 2027, the Byron Allen-owned company said Monday. 

“As we start our eleventh season, America’s Court with Judge Ross is our first and longest-running court series, and we are enthusiastic to continue its success and longevity for another seven seasons,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios and Allen Media Group in a statement.

The show, featuring former Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin A. Ross, premiered in broadcast syndication in 2010 and entered its eleventh season this week. It was Entertainment Studios’ first court show and now is part of its court block that includes Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez, Justice with Judge Mablean, Supreme Justice with Judge Karen and The Verdict with Judge Hatchett. It’s also a part of Entertainment Studios’ cable network, JusticeCentral.TV. 

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks has promoted Weather Channel executive Bruce Gibson to VP of network distribution.

Gibson, a 10-year The Weather Channel distribution, marketing and affiliate relations veteran, will oversee the distribution and carriage agreement negotiations for all eight ESN television networks, streaming AVOD service Local Now, and all 16 of the Allen Media Group-controlled, broadcast network-affiliated television stations nationwide, according to the company.

“We are excited to elevate Bruce Gibson to his new position,” said Janice Arouh, president of Networks Distribution and Marketing for Allen Media Group’s Entertainment Studios Networks in a statement. “Bruce is a tireless champion of our cross-portfolio distribution efforts for The Weather Channel, Entertainment Studios Networks, Local Now, and retransmission consent for the Allen Media Broadcasting stations. Bruce is enthusiastic about executing our strategic vision while continuing to meet the needs of our affiliate partners.”

Entertainment Studios is launching three new series off of The Weather Channel into syndication next fall: Highway Thru Hell, SOS: How to Survive and Top 10. 

Highway Thru Hell will be sold as a one-hour Monday-Friday strip, while SOS: How to Survive and Top 10 are being offered as one-hour weekly series.

“In this current environment, it is more important than ever that we remain focused on delivering extraordinary content solutions for the broadcast television stations and the advertising community,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group and its subsidiary, Entertainment Studios, in a statement.

Highway Thru Hell is The Weather Channel’s highest-rated program. The series follows drivers as they cross steep mountain passes and winding switchbacks. The show stars Jamie Davis and his crew who work to keep these passes open, often having to tow semi-trucks off the road in blizzards and other challenging conditions. 

SOS: How to Survive stars survival expert Creek Stewart who shares his best survival tips while showing viewers unique locations and dangerous situations.

Each weekly episode of Top 10 reveals the top-ten of something, whether it’s world-class athletes, first-responders or survivors. 

A Federal District Court judge rules against Charter Communications’ motion to dismiss a $10 billion lawsuit brought by Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks.

Entertainment Studios claims that Charter is discriminating against its channels in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

Judge George Wu said that Allen had met the requirements set for discrimination suits and that Entertainment Studios may proceed with pre-trial disclosures and begin discovery. 

Related: Comcast, Byron Allen Reach Accord on Carriage

“Charter once again tried to claim in a court of law that the First Amendment gives them the right to discriminate against Black people. This is a despicable, racist legal position, and I’m highly-confident Charter CEO Tom Rutledge and the Charter Board of Directors will be held fully accountable,” said Allen, the founder and CEO of Entertainment Studios and the Allen Media Group. “Charter will continue to lose this case, and I am going to make an example of them for all of America to see, because structural racism will not be tolerated. Systemic racism kills us in the schoolroom, kills us in the boardroom, and kills us in the courtroom, long before it kills us in the streets.” 

In a statement, Charter said that “promoting diversity and inclusion are core objectives across our company and a priority in our operations, including the products, services and the programming we offer. We regularly review the programming lineup to ensure our content appeals to our diverse audience. Charter offers programming services produced by minority-owned companies, including several owned by Byron Allen.”

Related: Charter to Invest $10M to Support Black-Owned Small Businesses

It added that “decisions on which networks to carry are based on business considerations, such as cost, quality, uniqueness of content, and customer demand. We are disappointed by this ruling, and stand by our position that race played no role whatsoever in our programming decision regarding these networks and we will continue to vigorously defend against these false claims.”

Allen had also sued Comcast in a case that reached the Supreme Court. That dispute ended in June with an agreement that called for the carriage of Allen-owned properties including The Weather Channel, Allen’s 14 TV stations and a host of other cable channels. 

A deal has been announced with Evoca and Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios that will have the Evoca subscription television service distribute Entertainment Studios’ eight global television networks, which includes The Weather Channel.

Evoca is a new virtual pay TV service that was designed to use the NextGen TV standard to deliver HD over-the-air content at a lower cost to customers. Evoca has a proprietary receiver and an OTA antenna to deliver its channel bundle, and the service says it will not be impacted by available internet bandwidth or network conditions.

Also read: ATSC 3.0 Company Edge Networks Launching Virtual Pay TV Service for Rural Consumers

Based in Boise, Idaho, Evoca is targeting a launch in more than 50 million households in small and mid-sized markets where bandwidth and broadband options are limited and cable or satellite can be expensive, the company says.

As part of the deal with Entertainment Studios, Evoca will carry eight, 24-hour networks that feature travel, automotive, culinary, pets, comedy, celebrity entertainment, courtroom drama and weather content.

The channels included in the deal are The Weather Channel, Cars.TV, Comedy.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV and JusticeCentral.TV.

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios said that all eight of its 24-hour TV networks will be carried by Evoca, a new subscription television service that will use the new NextGen TV ATSC 3.0 to compete with cable and satellite.

Evoca, started by Edge Networks, earlier this year launched two TV stations in Boise, Idaho, broadcasting using the ATSC 3.0 standard and announced it had begun airing a test bundle of channels. It planned to test a multichannel service in Boise that would provide 80 channels for less than $50 a month for viewers in small and mid-sized markets It said it planned to roll out to more markets in 2021.

The deal with Entertainment Studios is the first programming deal that it has disclosed. Financial terms were not released.

Tech Company Using ATSC 3.0 to Challenge Cable, Satellite

"We are thrilled to welcome Entertainment Studios Networks and their 24-hour global networks with extensive entertainment and lifestyle programming to the Evoca line-up," said Todd Achilles, Evoca CEO. “This distribution deal not only provides quality content for the Evoca viewer, but also brings together two companies with a shared vision to innovate television: Evoca with broadcast delivery and Entertainment Studios Networks with programming." 

Allen, who started as a comedian, has been building a media empire that includes cable networks including The Weather Channel and television stations. Last year, he was inducted into the B+C Hall of Fame.

Related: Comcast Settles with Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios

“We are excited to join forces with Evoca to deliver the number one news/weather channel and lifestyle programming to a larger audience,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Entertainment Studios/Allen Media Group.

In addition to the Weather Channel, the Allen channels that will be broadcast by Evoca are Cars.TV, Comedy.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV and Justice Central.TV.

The long legal dispute between Comcast and Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios — one that wound up in the U.S. Supreme Court — has reached resolution.

ES and Comcast on June 11 reached a deal that extends Comcast’s carriage pact for The Weather Channel and 14 broadcast-television stations owned by Allen, the Entertainment Studios/Allen Media Group founder, chairman and CEO and a 2019 Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame inductee.

The pact also includes carriage of the ES-owned Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV and JusticeCentral.TV channels on Comcast’s X1 and Xfinity On Demand platforms.

“We’re excited to begin a new phase of partnership with Comcast and Xfinity, including the distribution of our cable channels for the first time on Xfinity platforms,” Allen said in a statement.

Comcast Cable senior VP of video and entertainment Rebecca Heap said: “We are pleased to have reached this multifaceted agreement that continues our long relationship with The Weather Channel while bringing Xfinity customers additional content. We look forward to an ongoing partnership.”

The deal effectively ends a five-year legal dispute between Allen and Comcast. Allen and the National Association of African-American Owned Media sued Comcast in 2015, alleging that the media company conspired to keep black-owned networks off its systems. A federal court dismissed the suit three times, but that decision was reversed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a year ago.

Comcast appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which this past March overruled the lower court, saying Allen “bears the burden” of showing that race was the “but for” cause of the alleged injury — in this case, lack of carriage.

In his lawsuit, Allen had challenged Comcast’s definition of diversity. “This case is not about African American-themed programming, but is about African-American ownership of networks,” Allen said in a statement issued last June when the Supreme Court took up the case. “Unfortunately, the networks Comcast refers to as ‘African American-owned’ are not wholly-owned by African Americans, and did
not get any carriage until I stood up and spoke out about this discrimination and economic exclusion.”

The deal comes on the heels of Comcast’s pledge to invest $100 million over the next three years to combat racism and advance social justice and equality.

Allen still has active a $10 billion lawsuit against Charter Communications filed in 2016 also claiming carriage discrimination.” 

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios and Comcast on Thursday reached a content carriage agreement, ending a long, legal dispute that ended up at the Supreme Court.

According to the deal, Comcast extends its carriage agreement for The Weather Channel and 14 broadcast television stations owned by Allen, who is Entertainment Studios/Allen Media Group founder, Chairman and CEO and a 2019 B&C Hall of Fame inductee.

In addition, the deal also includes carriage of ES’ channels Comedy.Tv, Recipe.TV and JusticeCentral.TV on its X1 and video on demand platforms, according to both parties.

“We’re excited to begin a new phase of partnership with Comcast and Xfinity, including the distribution of our cable channels for the first time on Xfinity platforms,” said Allen in a statement.

Comcast Cable senior vice president of video and entertainment Bec Heap added: “We are pleased to have reached this multifaceted agreement that continues our long relationship with The Weather Channel while bringing Xfinity customers additional content. We look forward to an ongoing partnership.”

The deal effectively ends a five-year legal dispute between Allen and Comcast. Allen and the National Association of African American Owned Media sued Comcast in 2015, alleging that the media company conspired to keep African-American owned networks off its systems. A federal court dismissed the suit three times, but the decision was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit a year ago.

Comcast appealed to the Supreme Court, which this past March ruled against the lower court ruling, saying that Allen "bears the burden" of showing that race was the "but for" cause of the alleged injury--in this case lack of carriage.

RELATED: Supreme Court Rules Against Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios in Comcast Suit 

Allen still has active a $10 billion lawsuit against Charter filed in 2016 also claiming carriage discrimination.

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios and Comcast on Thursday reached a content carriage agreement, ending a long, legal dispute that ended up at the Supreme Court.

According to the deal, Comcast extends its carriage agreement for The Weather Channel and 14 broadcast television stations owned by Allen, who is Entertainment Studios/Allen Media Group founder, Chairman and CEO and a 2019 B&C Hall of Fame inductee.

In addition, the deal also includes carriage of ES’ channels Comedy.Tv, Recipe.TV and JusticeCentral.TV on its X1 and video on demand platforms, according to both parties.

“We’re excited to begin a new phase of partnership with Comcast and Xfinity, including the distribution of our cable channels for the first time on Xfinity platforms,” said Allen in a statement.

Comcast Cable senior vice president of video and entertainment Bec Heap added: “We are pleased to have reached this multifaceted agreement that continues our long relationship with The Weather Channel while bringing Xfinity customers additional content. We look forward to an ongoing partnership.”

The deal effectively ends a five-year legal dispute between Allen and Comcast. Allen and the National Association of African American Owned Media sued Comcast in 2015, alleging that the media company conspired to keep African-American owned networks off its systems. A federal court dismissed the suit three times, but the decision was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit a year ago.

Comcast appealed to the Supreme Court, which this past March ruled against the lower court ruling, saying that Allen "bears the burden" of showing that race was the "but for" cause of the alleged injury--in this case lack of carriage.

RELATED: Supreme Court Rules Against Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios in Comcast Suit 

The deal comes on the heels of Comcast's pledge to invest $100 million over the next three years to combat racism and advance social justice and equality. 

RELATED: Comcast Unveils $100M Plan to Advance Social Justice, Equity 

Allen still has active a $10 billion lawsuit against Charter filed in 2016 also claiming carriage discrimination. 

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that a lower court was wrong to hold that Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios Networks only had to make a plausible case that race played some role in Comcast's carriage decision. 

Comcast had asked the Supreme Court to reverse that lower court ruling.

The court said that the plaintiff "bears the burden" of showing that race was the "but for" cause of the alleged injury--in this case lack of carriage. That means that ESN had to show that "but for" it being an African-American-owned company, Comcast would have carried its programming. 

Related: Supremes Probe Decision on Comcast Lawsuit

Comcast had argued that there were sound business reasons for its carriage decision, including "lack of programming demand, bandwidth constraints, and a preference for programming not offered by ESN," the court pointed out in its ruling. 

"Few legal principles are better established than the rule requiring a plaintiff to establish causation. In the law of torts, this usually means a plaintiff must first plead and then prove that its injury would not have occurred 'but for' the defendant’s unlawful conduct," wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch for the majority (in this case the unanimity). "The plaintiffs before us suggest that [civil rights law guarantees of contract equity] departs from this traditional arrangement. But looking to this particular statute’s text and history, we see no evidence of an exception."  

Related: Rep. Rush Slams Comcast Over Byron Allen Suit

ES has amended its complaint, and the court remanded the case back to the ninth Circuit court of appeals, which it said should determine "how the operative amended complaint in this case fares under the proper standard." 

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in a concurring opinion that it was the court's remand with instructions that the lower court could consider the allegation in light of the amended complaint that allowed her to join the opinion. 

"The Court holds today that Entertainment Studios must plead and prove that race was the but-for cause of its injury—in other words, that Comcast would have acted differently if Entertainment Studios were not African American owned," she wrote. "But if race indeed accounts for Comcast’s conduct, Comcast should not escape liability for injuries inflicted during the contract-formation process. The Court has reserved that issue for consideration on remand, enabling me to join its opinion."  

It was the following conclusion by the court that allowed Ginsburg to support the decision and gives ESN some hope for a different decision in the future.

"To prevail, a plaintiff must initially plead and ultimately prove that, but for race, it would not have suffered the loss of a legally protected right," wrote Gorsuch. "We do not, however, pass on whether ESN’s operative amended complaint “contain[s] sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face’ ” under the but for causation standard. The Ninth Circuit has yet to consider that question because it assessed ESN’s pleadings under a different and mistaken test. To allow that court the chance to determine the sufficiency of ESN’s pleadings under the correct legal rule in the first instance, we vacate the judgment of the court of appeals and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion."  

But Comcast says the lower court should reach the same conclusion.

“We are pleased the Supreme Court unanimously restored certainty on the standard to bring and prove civil rights claims," said Comcast. "The well-established framework that has protected civil rights for decades continues. The nation’s civil rights laws have not changed with this ruling; they remain the same as before the case was filed.

"We now hope that on remand the 9th Circuit will agree that the District Court properly applied that standard in dismissing Mr. Allen’s case three separate times for failing to state any claim.

"We are proud of our record on diversity and will not rest on this record. We will continue to look for ways to add even more innovative and diverse programming that appeals to our diverse viewership and continue our diversity and inclusion efforts across the company.”

"Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has rendered a ruling that is harmful to the civil rights of millions of Americans," said Entertainment Studios Chairman Byron Allen. "This is a very bad day for our country. We will continue our fight by going to Congress and the presidential candidates to revise the statute to overcome this decision by the United States Supreme Court, which significantly diminishes our civil rights." 

Allen Media Broadcasting, a unit of Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, said it has completed its purchase of 11 television stations from USA Television for $305 million.

The deal was first announced in October. The stations include affiliates of the four major broadcast networks and are located in Alabama, Indiana, Oregon, California, Mississippi, Minnesota and Iowa and increases Allen Media’s broadcast holdings to about 15 stations.

Allen and Entertainment Studios have been an aggressive buyer of media properties over the past two years. In 2018 he purchased The Weather Channel for about $300 million, followed by Bayou City Broadcasting, a station group with four TV properties in Indiana and Louisiana for $165 million in July 2019. In August 2019, Allen personally partnered with Sinclair Broadcast Group in the latter’s purchase of 21 regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. 

Related: BCHOF 2019 Moment: Byron Allen’s Speech 

“Over the past six months we’ve invested nearly $500 million to acquire best-in-class, top-tier, broadcast network affiliates,” Allen said in a press release. “We plan to invest approximately ten billion dollars to acquire ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox television stations over the next three years with the goal of being one of the largest broadcast television groups in America.”

Byron Allen was the third inductee at the 29th annual Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, on Tuesday night, and the room had gotten a bit quiet. Allen's arrival to the podium [pictured above] changed all that.

"All right let's hear it, come on, come on," he implored, after the photo stop. "I worked my ass off to get here, let’s hear more! [Cheers.] We’re gonna hear some relentless tonight, let's do this. We’re not at a tax convention, come on! [Cheers.] Really, who died? This is not a wake. I just got the Hall of Fame, what the hell! Yes! Yes!"

Allen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios, and acquirer of TV stations and The Weather Channel in recent months, was in a celebratory mood and did not need anything loaded into a teleprompter. He was ready to share a story that ended up taking over 10 minutes to tell. I listened to the tape and thought I would share a lot of it here.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am right now," he said. "First of all, Broadcasting & Cable, thank you. I’m going to be a subscriber forever, my kids are going to be subscribers, my grandkids are going to be subscribers. They’re going to be, I’m not even in Broadcasting & Cable. I’m like, I don’t care, read it, read it! Look what they did for granddaddy!"

He said humble thanks and congratulated his fellow honorees. "You are looking at the luckiest man in the world," Allen continued. "In the world. I’m not going to lie, I’m going to take that right there, the luckiest man. I am so fortunate and I am so, so blessed. I cannot even begin to count my blessings. I mean, it is beyond, more than what any human being could ever expect."

He praised his wife, Jennifer Lucas, mother of their three children and bestower of their kids' good looks, he said, and noted it was great to see old colleagues and mentors at the event, including Live With Kelly and Ryan exec Art Moore and Fox TV's Jack Abernethy. 

Read More: Byron Allen's B&C Hall of Fame profile

Then the story really got into gear.

"The reason why I say I’m so lucky is because my mother got pregnant with me when she was 17 years old, and she had me 17 days after her 17th birthday. April 22, 1961, in Detroit, Michigan. A little black teenage girl having a little black baby in Detroit in ‘61, I was born without civil rights. And she never, ever stopped believing in me or supporting me.

"April of ‘68 came along and Martin Luther King was assassinated and the military took over my neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. I was seven years old and I was looking down the barrel of a United States Army tank. Soldiers walking on my lawn with bayonets and dogs, guns pointed at us. And they made it very clear: get in the house or we will shoot and kill you. My mother said, OK, let’s get out of Detroit. Let’s go visit some relatives and friends in L.A. Summer of '68. We never, ever went back to Detroit. 

"Went to L.A., slept on a lot of sofas, a lot of floors, for a couple of years. Unfortunately, there was talk about my mother not being able to afford to keep me, because we were struggling. And as a child, that rocked my core. Because I was someone who just lost my father, through a divorce, and now I’m about to lose my mother because she couldn’t afford me. So, I was about nine or 10 years old, I started making money right then and there.

"I went to the supermarket and I asked them, can I have a job, packing groceries. They said, how old are you? I said I’m 10. They said no, you're not old enough to work here, you have to be at least 16. I said, how old is that guy right there packing the groceries? He said he’s 16. I said, well, look at that, he put eggs on the bottom of the bag. I’m 10 years old and I know not to do that! [Laughter.] My grandmother taught me don’t put the eggs at the bottom of the bag. 

"He said, I’m sorry son, you can’t have a job. I said, OK sir, I appreciate your time. And I walked out to the parking lot and I saw this lady pushing a grocery basket back into the store. And she put it in a machine and she got a stamp. I said, what is that? She said if you get 100 stamps, you get a dollar’s worth of food. So I worked that parking lot day and night, kept putting baskets in that machine, and I would come home with food for my mother. I'd say, you can afford to keep me, we can stay together.

"My mother ended up going to UCLA and getting her master’s degree in cinema TV production," Allen said, to big applause. 

"And because she was at UCLA working on her master’s degree, she was able to go to NBC and get an interview. And she asked for a job, and they said no. And she asked some very important questions. She said do you have an intern program, and they said no, we don’t. And then she asked the question that changed our lives: She said would you start one with me? And they said yes, we will.

Read More: Byron Allen Is Not Kidding Around

"And my mom got a job at NBC, giving tours, and then later in publicity and marketing. And because she could not afford child care, she took me to NBC. And I stayed and I waited for my mama to get off work. And that’s where I stood and I watched Johnny Carson do the Tonight Show, and Bob Hope, and Redd Foxx do Sanford and Son, and Freddie Prinze. And I watched all these great comedians, Flip Wilson, this was in the mid 70s. And I said, that’s what I want to do with my life, I want to make people laugh. I’m going to entertain people, I’m going to bring joy to this world, I’m going to make it a better world. And I started writing and doing standup with Jimmie Walker and Jay Leno and David Letterman and I never looked back. And I quit my paper route and I haven’t worked a day since I quit my paper route. [Applause.]

"They were giving me half a penny a paper and I said, no I don’t need it. Did the Tonight Show with Johnny, never looked back. Got a number of offers. They said, check out this show. I said, what is this? They said, Real People. And I’m very numerical. And I said you know what, out of all the offers I’ve gotten, this is the one I want, Real People. They said why that show? I said there are three networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, 66 hours of primetime television. This is the only hour different from the other 65. This show is going to work. It’ll certainly work long enough to get me through USC Film School. This is the show. That show ended up being the daddy, the granddaddy of reality and changed the face of television.

"But that wasn't enough," Allen continued. "I wanted to learn the business. I said, show business is not the way you get there, it’s business show. So I’m going to share something with you I haven't shared with many. I’m originally from Detroit but I live in L.A. I said, who is the best in the business and how do I learn the business? They said, go to New York, go to NATPE. 

"January of '81, I was 19 years old, and I came with my mother and I went to the New York Hilton, right around the corner [from the Ziegfeld Ballroom]. And I walked into the lobby and I said, who’s the best? They said Al Masini. I said, tell me about Al Masini. They said he’s up on the 45th floor, he’s the best. I said, all right. 

Meet the B&C Hall of Fame Class of 2019

"I waited a half hour to go up the floors. Elevators were stuck -- some of you were there, Greg Meidel was there. Greg and I have the same birthday, April 22, I love you Greg, we wish each other happy birthday every year. I go up and Al Masini had his back to me and he was pitching some of the very men in this room, some of the very people in this room. And he’s telling you, I’ve got this show with the biggest movie star in the world on it, Burt Reynolds. And I’m going to put this show on the satellite and you’re going to run it the same night. What’s it called? He said Entertainment Tonight. They said, OK Al. And I watched him sell Entertainment Tonight and Star Search and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Solid Gold and a miniseries about Golda Meir, A Woman Called Golda. 

"And I introduced myself and I said, 'Mr. Masini, I understand you're the best. My name is Byron Allen and I am hear to learn from you, sir. Where we having dinner tonight?' And he actually said, 'We’re going to have Italian food tonight.' I said save me a seat, I want to check this out.

"And he became a second father to me. He let me be the son he never had. And he loved me and he embraced me and he never judged me. And I’m proud, because he was the first person inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, 29 years ago. [Applause.]

"And I’m proud because, as a great mentor, he said things to me that weren’t true. He said, 'Byron, you’re special, you’re unstoppable, and you too, one day, will be inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.' I didn’t believe him. And he’s not here physically, but I know he’s here spiritually. And it’s great people like that that we all need in our lives, to help us be better. 

"And that’s my commitment. My commitment to the industry, my commitment to my family, my commitment to my friends is to make a difference. I’m not just here to make money. My wife met me 20 years ago. She said, 'What are you doing with your life?' I was in a one-bedroom condo. I said, 'I’m building the world's biggest media company, that’s what I’m doing. Unstoppable. Do you want to come along?' And she said 'yes,' and thank you.

"But that’s not all I’m doing," Allen said, nearing a conclusion. "I want to make it better for the world. I want to make sure we have more inclusion for women like my mother, and more inclusion for people of color, and I want to have more inclusion for everyone. 

"I want to make sure it’s a level playing field," Allen said. "Because that’s why America is great, and that’s why America will always be great. And nothing makes me prouder than being a part of this industry, because you are some of the best Americans to live. Thank you, I love you."

Entertainment Studios continued to add to its broadcast portfolio Tuesday, agreeing to purchase 11 television stations from USA Television Holdings for $290 million.

The deal is another step in what has been an aggressive acquisition strategy by the independent producer and distributor founded and led by entrepreneur Byron Allen. In the past 18 months, Entertainment Studios has bought The Weather Channel for an estimated $300 million, acquired four TV stations from Bayou City Broadcasting for $165 million and partnered with Sinclair Broadcast Group on its purchase of 21 regional sports networks from the Walt Disney Co. 

The most recent purchase involves properties in Alabama, Indiana, Oregon, California, Mississippi, Minnesota and Iowa and beefs up Allen’s Allen Media Broadcasting unit to 15 stations.

“I have known Byron Allen for decades and we are delighted that these stations will now be part of his dynamic company, and that Heartland management will continue to guide them,” said USA Television CEO Robert S. Prather, Jr. in a press release. “These stations are dedicated to their local communities and this transaction will enable them to become even stronger on both their broadcast and digital platforms.”

RBC Capital Markets acted as sole financial adviser to Allen Media Group, while Moelis & Co. was the sole financial adviser to USA TV. 

"This is another milestone for our company, as we have now agreed to purchase our second broadcast network affiliate station group within the past three months, and continue to aggressively look for other opportunities to grow our global media company through strategic acquisitions," Allen said in a press release. 

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios/Allen Media has promoted Matt Anderson to vice president of distribution for Entertainment Studios and Weather Group, which includes The Weather Channel.

Anderson, formerly director of distribution for the Weather Group, will now be responsible for distribution efforts of the integrated Entertainment Studios Networks and Weather Group, said the company. Oversight for his accounts will include affiliate network distribution, carriage negotiation, sales management, marketing, local ad sales, public affairs, and strategic client app development for the integrated portfolio of weather, court, and lifestyle networks.

“I’m excited to announce Matt’s promotion,” said Janice Arouh, President, Distribution and Marketing for Entertainment Studios Networks and Weather Group in a statement. “Matt will continue to build on our valuable affiliate partnerships, and expand distribution of our portfolio of 8 networks across all platforms.”

Dish Network has launched Entertainment Studios’ Recipe.TV network, the two parties announced Tuesday.

The network, which showcases famous chefs preparing recipes from cuisine destinations around the world, is available on several Dish packages including its America’s Top 120 and America’s Top 200 tiers, according to network officials.

Emmy Award-winning producer Lisa-Renee Ramirez serves as executive producer for Recipe.TV.

America loves to watch step-by-step recipes,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios in a statement. “I am very proud of our relationship with DISH and I am highly confident their subscribers will enjoy the network and all the terrific recipes from some of the world’s renowned chefs, including Wolfgang Puck.”

Marina del Rey, Calif. — In the current content climate, companies need scale and leverage. So said Byron Allen, founder, owner, chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios, at the OTT & Video Distribution Summit.

“Where you get in trouble is if you’re too small,” Allen said during his keynote. “You cannot be big enough. You have to get bigger, and you have to do it quickly. And the way you do it is you have to do it through acquisitions.” Allen’s ES bought The Weather Channel parent The Weather Group this year. The acquisition, he said, gives the company leverage to help its seven other networks: Cars.tv, Comedy. tv, ES.tv, MyDestination.tv, Pets.tv, Recipe.tv and JusticeCentral.tv.

“As we get greater distribution for these other seven networks, there’s about $100 million a year in advertising in each network,” he said.

This year, Entertainment Studios turned 25, but the road to that milestone was not always smooth. “I never stopped picking up the phone and dialing and selling and dialing and selling,” Allen told MCN managing director of content Mark Robichaux. The entrepreneur cited a New York Times article about Verizon’s investment in fiber and plans to launch 150 HD channels. The article inspired Allen to reach out to Verizon and, while he didn’t get the 10 HD channels he wanted, Verizon did give him six, which eventually led to a seventh with the pickup of Justice Central.

ES owns the content on its networks, something Allen said will become more and more valuable for companies as technology changes and morphs.

The Detroit-born programmer is looking to the future in other ways as well.

Sports.tv, Allen said, will “segregate, aggregate and globalize sports.”

“The true religion of the world is sports,” he said. “That’s why we’re saying Sports.tv is for us; that’s everything. And that’s the war we’re going to win.”

 Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, Inc. has named Amy DuBois Barnett as its executive vice president of digital.

Barnett, who will be based in Los Angeles, will oversee digital operations for the company. In addition, Barnett will serve as the chief content officer of Allen’s African-American targeted digital media platform, theGrio, said the company.

Barnett most recently was recruited by ESPN to lead the development and launch of a new digital brand focusing on multimedia content for a multicultural audience, according to ES. Prior to ESPN, Barnett was the Editor-in-Chief of Ebony. 

“Our motion picture, cable, broadcast television, and digital platform divisions are expanding at a rapid pace, and the addition of Amy DuBois Barnett shows our commitment to investing and exploring additional opportunities for acquisitions, content production, and building our assets worldwide," said Entertainment Studios Founder, Chairman, and CEO Byron Allen. “Amy is the perfect executive for our global media company. We are thrilled to have her join our team, and to lead the expansion of theGrio.”

Entertainment Studios, the independent TV producer and distributor headed by Byron Allen, has named Eric Gould as its new executive vice president of finance & chief investment officer.

Gould will work out of the Entertainment Studios headquarters in Los Angeles.

In his new position, Gould will oversee investments, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate finance for all of Allen’s Entertainment Studios media divisions, including: broadcast television syndication, advertising sales, all seven 24-hour cable television networks, the digital video-centric news platform The Grio, as well as theatrical motion picture co-productions and global distribution for Allen’s recently-acquired theatrical and digital movie distribution divisions Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures and Freestyle Digital Media.

Gould reports directly to Entertainment Studios founder, chairman, and CEO, Byron Allen.

“Eric Gould is an outstanding addition to our Entertainment Studios family,” Allen said in a statement. “Eric’s extensive financial investment experience makes him the perfect addition to our executive team as we continue to grow our global media company and aggressively pursue mergers and acquisitions.”

Gould has more than 20 years’ experience in the financial community and most recently served as a managing director and senior portfolio manager at Guggenheim Partners, where he was responsible for the investment development and strategies for approximately $20 billion of the firm’s $240 billion in client assets.

Prior to joining Guggenheim, he was the head of portfolio management at the Munich Re Group where he was responsible for the North American investment strategies. Before joining Munich Re in 2007, Gould was a senior vice president and senior portfolio manager at GE Asset Management where he headed the Structured Products Group. Prior to that, Mr. Gould spent six years at MetLife’s investment department where he managed structured products and real estate investments as well as analyzed M&A opportunities.

“I believe in Byron's vision for Entertainment Studios and see many opportunities for the company to expand its ever-growing media businesses,” Gould said in a statement. “The future of Entertainment Studios is brighter than ever and I am excited to join the team.”

Byron Allen-owned Entertainment Studios has hired veteran game show producer Bob Boden as its executive vice president of production and development, the company said Monday.

In his new position, Boden will be involved in all facets of the company’s television productions, including the network’s comedy game show, Funny You Should Ask, said network officials.

Boden will also produce and develop new game and reality projects for Entertainment Studios’ television slate of existing and upcoming projects across multiple platforms – broadcast syndication, cable television, and digital, said the company.

Boden most recently served as executive producer of GSN’s game show The Chase, and previously held positions at ABC, CBS, Game Show Network/GSN, FX, Fox Reality Channel, The Family Channel, Mark Goodson Productions, Dick Clark Productions, and Hasbro Studios.

“I am very excited to have the industry’s preeminent game show guru, Bob Boden, join our team,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios in a statement. “Bob’s extensive network executive and production experience makes him a great fit for Entertainment Studios as we continue to grow our global media company and invest in premium content.”

Byron Allen-owned Entertainment Studios’ Justice Central.TV network has inked a carriage deal with Dish Network, the company announced Thursday.

The Dish deal gives Justice Central.Tv, which launched in 2012, more than 40 million subscribers. The deal is a rare distribution agreement for Dish, which has recently been involved in disputes with content providers over licensing fees.

Allen said Justice Central.TV is a "terrific network, and we don't charge a subscription fee, which helps MVPD's in an environment where the cost of content is out of control."

He added: “I am very proud of our new relationship with Dish and I am highly confident their subscribers will enjoy the network."

Dish vice president of programming Andy LeCuyer also said that Justice Central.TV "represents a successful and underserved genre. Our customers now have the perfect destination for a wide variety of the best court shows available to them around the clock from the largest producer of television court programming.”

Entertainment Studios has reached a carriage deal with Mediacom Communications for two of its high-definition channels, Comedy.Tv and Pets.TV, the company announced Wednesday.

The multi-year distribution deal calls for Medicom – the fifth largest cable operator – to distribute the Byron Allen-owned channels via its linear, on demand and TV Everywhere platforms, said company officials.

“This deal for carriage of our Comedy.TV and Pets.TV branded networks is important to us, and we are thrilled to have reached a long-term agreement with Mediacom,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios in a statement. 

Added Italia Commisso Weinand, Mediacom’s Executive Vice President of Programming and Human Resources: “These networks deliver a unique and entertaining mix of today’s funniest comedians, stand-up comedy performances, sitcoms, and pet lifestyle shows. This type of programming is popular with our customers."

African-American media mogul and Entertainment Studios chairman and CEO Byron Allen has aggressively pushed for more inclusion of 100% African-American-owned networks by targeting major cable industry mergers with discrimination lawsuits. Allen and the National Association of African-American Owned Media (NAAOM) in May filed a $10 billion suit against Charter Communications, trying to stop Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable, claiming Charter has engaged in racial discrimination by not contracting with 100% African-American-owned media. He also chastised Charter for having an all-white board of directors and criticized the memorandum of understanding Charter reached with the Rev. Al Sharpton and other multicultural organizations this past January outlining diversity mandates for Charter as part of merger approval.

Allen has sued before. Allen and the NAAOM (in February 2015) filed a $20 billion lawsuit against the Comcast-NBCUniversal merger: the merger was approved but the suit is still pending. He also, in 2014, sued to block the DirecTV-AT&T merger. That suit was settled in December 2015, after AT&T agreed to carry Allen’s Comedy.TV, Justice Central, Recipe.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, Cars.TV and Pets.TV on AT&T U-verse TV and DirecTV. The Charter-Time Warner merger was completed in May.

Charter said it added Mauricio Ramos, CEO of telecommunications company Millicom, to its board at the close of the merger, and responded to Allen’s comments with a statement: “Mr. Allen’s history of frivolous claims speaks for itself. Charter is committed to expanding diversity and inclusion throughout the company as reflected in the MOU we signed with leading national civic organizations representing communities of color. Our commitments will enhance diversity in corporate governance, including on our board of directors, employment, suppliers, community investment and in the programming we carry.”

Allen further explained his reasons behind filing the suit, and thoughts on industry trends, in an interview with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead. An edited transcript follows.

MCN:Give me a sense of how you see the cable industry today and what challenges it faces in a very competitive and crowded entertainment environment.

Byron Allen: The industry is definitely very fluid and it’s developing at a rapid pace. The Internet is definitely having a huge impact on how people consume content, and that is unfortunately at the expense of independents and minority voices — especially people of color — and that is something that we have to be very careful about. It’s important for all of our voices to be heard and widely distributed, and unfortunately that isn’t the case.

MCN:You’ve been very vocal in stressing that to the point where you’ve filed discrimination lawsuits against a number of mega-cable mergers, most recently against the Charter-Time Warner Cable union. How effective do you believe your activism has been in terms of getting your points across?

BA: We have a $10 billion lawsuit against Charter. This is an important lawsuit — it is based on the Civil Rights Act of 1866, section 1981. It was a lawsuit that was put on the books to protect the newly freed slaves 150 years ago, to make sure that the newly freed slaves had economic inclusion and, unfortunately, 150 years later that is not the case. I was very disappointed to see that Charter had an all-white, male board — not even a woman on the board to represent 60% of the global population.

I was disappointed that there are no Asians, Hispanics or African-Americans on the board. You would think that in 2016 you would not have to say that. I was disappointed that Charter, under the leadership of [CEO] Tom Rutledge, has signed an MOU — a memorandum of understanding — with Rev. Al Sharpton, as if Al Sharpton represents all black people. Al Sharpton does not represent me. The very idea of that is racist and disrespectful. I didn’t do anything regarding Charter[‘s] pending acquisition of Time Warner Cable until I heard Tom Rutledge signed an MOU with Al Sharpton, and that lit me up like a Christmas tree. That’s when I had to step in.

When I looked at the [Charter] board, as well as the fact that [Charter is] spending billions of dollars and none of it is going to 100% African-American-owned media, that’s when I filed the lawsuit. I’ve asked Tom Rutledge to sit down with me, and at this point he has refused to do so. I don’t think that’s in the best interest of the stockholders, the public, and I don’t believe the government should have supported the type of behavior that he has displayed against someone in our community such as me.

MCN:What do you say to people who believe that you’re taking these actions strictly to get your suite of networks wider distribution?

BA: I’m an entrepreneur. All of my moves are made to build my business, but also to make things better for the people behind me. We’re in a business that spends $70 billion a year licensing cable networks and black entrepreneurs getting practically nothing. The numbers don’t lie — we have to stop talking about diversity and economic inclusion and start doing something.

That is the reason I sued Charter — it’s real simple, and if I’m wrong, show me the economic inclusion. Why does your own MOU say that if we get Time Warner Cable, we’ll put a woman, an African-American, an Hispanic on the board within two years? Why does it take two years — like it’s an evil burden?

A lot of people like to talk about it, but I’m doing something about it. I’m 55, I have a wife and three kids, and I decided not to leave this mess for them to deal with. … I’m going to deal with it once and for all, and the way I’m going to deal with it is through lawsuits. Not because I am a litigious person, but it’s the way to get it to the federal courts and start looking at the emails, start doing the depositions and having those conversations that they wouldn’t have with us. These lawsuits could have been over real fast if they could have pointed to that African-American unicorn that they’re doing business with, but they couldn’t find that unicorn.

What I’m doing is going to make the industry better. You’re going to have true diversity, true economic inclusion, which means jobs in our community, and you’re going to have a better product because you’re going to connect with the people who represent America today. This is the conversation no one wants to have because they love their apple pie and they don’t want to give you a slice. But guess what? I’m hungry too.

Entertainment Studios, Inc., has appointed Cindy Kelly as its president of advertising sales. the network said Monday.

Kelly in her new role will be responsible for advertising and sponsorship accounts across all seven of Entertainment Studios' portfolio of cable television and digital networks, said company officials. 

Most recently Kelly served as  senior vice president of strategic sales & solutions for ION Media Networks. She has also held similar positions with Crown Media Family Networks (Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel) and with AOL/Time Warner-Turner Broadcasting.  

“Cindy Kelly brings an enormous amount of industry advertising sales experience to our networks,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios in a statement. “With the addition of Cindy to our team, we have increased our competitive edge as we continue to expand our global initiatives and distribution platforms.”

Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks along with the National Association of African-American Owned Media (NAAAOM) Wednesday filed a $10 billion lawsuit in United States District Court against Charter Communications for engaging in “racial discrimination” by not launching African-American owned networks.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday night in filed in United States District Court in Central District of California, comes less than a month after Entertainment Studios settled a similar discrimination lawsuit against AT&T and DirecTV after AT&T signed to carry Entertainment Studios’ portfolio of networks.

The suit alleges that Charter Communications has engaged in racial discrimination by not contracting with 100% African American-owned media.The suit further states that of the more than $4 billion spent annually by Charter Communications on cable channel carriage fees and advertising, none is spent with 100% African American-owned media companies. 

In light of Charter’s actions, the FCC should never approve Charter Communications’ acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, according to the lawsuit.

“Our lawsuit seeks to stop Charter Communications’ ‘Jim Crow’ policies and collusion with elected officials in order to continue its exclusion of 100% African American-owned media,” says Allen in a statement. “President Obama and the FCC have left 100% African American-owned media with no choice but to fight for our rights.  With this suit, as well as others to follow, NAAAOM and I intend to stop these corporate racist atrocities and the resulting African American financial genocide that we witness every day."

The lawsuit also comes two weeks after Charter signed a memorandum of understanding with a dozen diversity organizations to diversify its board of directors and to hire a chief diversity offer to head its diversity and inclusion efforts once its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable is approved.

In a statement, Charter said: "This is a desperate tactic that this programmer has used before with other distributors.  We will not comment further at this time."

Entertainment Studios will look to develop a movie based on the life of legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. as part of its acquisition of media rights to Davis' biography Deconstructing Sammy, the company said Wednesday.

The Byron Allen-owned company also plans to create a television series and a documentary based on the Matt Birkbeck-penned biography, published in 2008, according to company officials.

“I personally knew and worked with Sammy Davis, Jr.,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios. “Sammy hired me to open for him at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas when I was a 19-year-old standup comedian, and that’s where my fascination with his incredible story began. Deconstructing Sammy is an amazing work of literature ... it is the perfect foundation for a movie, a scripted television series, and a documentary about this legendary global icon.”

Global distribution of Deconstructing Sammy will be handled by Freestyle Releasing, the studio recently acquired by Entertainment Studios.

Producer/comedian Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Thursday acquired independent film distribution company Freestyle Releasing.

Freestyle, which is behind such faith-based films as God’s Not Dead and Woodlawn, was co-founded by Mark Borde and the late Susan Jackson. The studio, which has an output deal with Netflix, is expected to distribute 15 to 20 films per year, according to Entertainment Studios.

“Mark Borde and Susan Jackson have done a phenomenal job creating and building Freestyle, and we are 110 percent committed to enhancing their excellent legacy,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios. “Freestyle has a great management team, and with their unique output deal with Netflix, the company is very valuable and well-positioned to grab greater theatrical box office market share, and we will maximize this opportunity.”

Independent producer Entertainment Studios has reached a carriage deal with Verizon’ FiOS TV for its Justice Central.TV network, a 24-hour channel devoted to legal-based news and entertainment programing.   

“Justice Central.TV represents a successful, and underserved genre,” said Verizon vice president of content strategy and acquisition Terry Denson in a statement. “Our customers now have the perfect destination for a wide variety of the best court shows available to them around the clock from the largest producer of television court programming.”

The network is the seventh Entertainment Studios channel to be carried by FiOS. The others are Cars.TV,Comedy.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, Pets.TV and Recipe.TV.

“Since we launched the network in December, 2012, Justice Central.TV has consistently delivered double digit growth in all key day parts,” said Entertainment Studios chairman, CEO and founder Byron Allen in a statement. “I am very proud of our expanding relationship with Verizon FiOS and highly confident their subscribers will enjoy the network.”

Among the shows FiOS customers will gain access to as part of the carriage deal include:

·       Justice with Judge Mablean – Featuring the former Divorce Court judge.

·       America’s Court with Judge Ross –Judge Ross shows litigants how they can responsibly deal with their disputes and understand the consequences of their actions.

·       Justice For All with Judge Cristina Perez – Featuring the three-time Emmy Award winner Cristina Perez.

·       Supreme Justice with Judge Karen – Twice elected as a county court judge in Miami, Judge Karen Mills-Francis is known for her feisty, full-of-life personality and passionate advocacy for families and children.

·       We the People with Gloria Allred – Noted  civil rights lawyer Allred takes up the gavel in this explosive court show.

·       The Verdict with Judge Hatchett – Featuring two-time Emmy-nominated host Judge Glenda Hatchett, who presided over her own syndicated show Judge Hatchett for 14 years. Judge Hatchett won a 2003 Prism Award for Best Unscripted Non-Fiction Series or Special for Television.

The National Association of African-American Owned Media and Entertainment Studios, a media company owned by comedian and entrepreneur Byron Allen, has filed a $20 billion discrimination suit against Comcast and civil rights figure The Rev. Al Sharpton, claiming they have blocked the growth of 100% black-owned cable channels.

In a suit filed in U.S. District Court in California on Feb. 20, the NAAAOM claims that Comcast has refused to do business with 100% African American owned businesses, alleging that the media giant spends about $25 billion annually to license pay TV channels and on advertising, yet 100% African-American owned media receive less than $3 million per year.

The suit is similar to one the NAAAOM brought against AT&T in December. Like Comcast, which is in the middle of federal approvals for its planned merger with Time Warner Cable – AT&T is in the process of acquiring satellite giant DirecTV.

Comcast has been cited for several diversity awards – it was recently named one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity by Black Enterprise magazine – and has prided itself in its track record in hiring executives and workers of color. The company, in a statement called the allegations frivolous.

“While we do not generally comment on pending litigation, this complaint represents nothing more than a string of inflammatory, inaccurate, and unsupported allegations,” Comcast said in a statement. “We are proud of our outstanding record supporting and fostering diverse programming, including programming from African American owned and controlled cable channels.   We currently carry more than 100 networks geared toward diverse audiences, including multiple networks owned or controlled by minorities.  Diversity organizations from across the country, including numerous diverse programmers, have supported our transaction with Time Warner Cable.  That deal will extend our industry-leading commitment to diverse programming to even more homes across America, one of the reasons so many groups in the African American community have supported it. Comcast has engaged in good faith negotiations with this programmer for many years.  It is disappointing that they have decided to file a frivolous lawsuit.  We will defend vigorously against the scurrilous allegations in this complaint and fully expect that the court will dismiss them.”  

Sharpton, who was accused of supporting Comcast's merger desires in return for financial reports, has called the allegations frivolous according to reports and that he plans to file counterclaims for defamation.

In the suit, NAAAOM claims that although it was required to help create minority owned channels as part of the conditions put on its 2011 acquisition of NBC Universal, Comcast has done little to  foster the growth of 100% black-owned media, instead helping to create networks owned by friends of company executives or that serve as “token fronts,” or “window dressing,” with African American celebrities posing as owners for black channels that are controlled by white-owned businesses.

For example the suit alleges that one black-owned channel is actually owned by Highbridge Capital, a fund run by former Comcast executive Payne Brown and a subsidiary of investment bank JP Morgan.

The only 100% African America-owned network currently carried by Comcast, according to the suit, is the Africa Channel, which the organization claims is owned by a former Comcast/NBCU executive who was instrumental in putting together Memorandums of Understanding from minority groups to win approval of the NBCU deal.

Allen’s Entertainment Studios produces programming on seven channels and is carried by about 40 distributors in about 7.5 million homes across the country. It does not currently have a carriage agreement with Comcast. The $20 billion damages figure isthe plaintiff's estimation of what Entertainment Studios' value would be had Comcast contracted with them in "good faith."

Suddenlink Communications continues to rack up carriage deals in the wake of its decision to pass on Viacom’s suite of cable networks, most recently reaching a broad, multi-year deal with Entertainment Studios' Comedy.TV.

The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, is one of several that Suddenlink has reached in the days after it failed to reach a carriage agreement with Viacom, parent of MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and Nickelodeon. Since the Viacom channels went dark on Oct. 1,  Suddenlink has teed up about 20 additional channels as replacements, and has reached carriage deals with Revolt TV, CBS, RLTV, The Blaze, Sprout, Discovery Communications, Up and Aspire.

“Our goal and commitment is to provide Suddenlink and their valuable customers the very best in comedy,” Entertainment Studios founder, chairman and CEO Byron Allen said in a statement. “Our new affiliation with Suddenlink is another big step in bringing Comedy.TV to more viewers in nearly 90 U.S. television markets.”

Entertainment Studios owns seven 24-hour networks – Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Cars.TV, ES.TV, Mydestination.TV and JusticeCentral.TV – and produces, distributes and sells advertising for 37 television programs. With a library of over 4,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Entertainment Studios provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, multimedia platforms, and online.

Comedy.TV offers talk shows like Comics Unleashed, stand-up routines from up-and-coming comedians and sitcoms like The First Family and Mr. Box Office.

"Comedy.TV is a terrific addition to our channel line-up,” Suddenlink senior vice president and chief programming officer Kathy Payne said in a statement. “The network delivers a unique mix of today’s funniest comedians, stand-up comedy performances, sitcoms, and talk shows to our customers."