Fusion and Cheddar, the financial news network focused on younger audiences, have teamed on a ten-episode, unscripted interview series -- The Point With Jon Steinberg– that will premiere on Fusion on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Each half-hour, weekly episode will have Cheddar founder and CEO Jon Steinberg conduct interviews with top executives spanning the business, finance, media, entertainment and tech sectors.

The premiere episode will feature Arianna Huffington, CEO of Thrive Global, and Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia.

Future episodes will feature one-on-ones with Cooper Hefner, chief creative officer of Playboy; Michele Promaulayko, editor-in-chief, Cosmopolitan; Ray J, hip-hop artist and founder, Raycon; Nash Grier, YouTube/internet personality; chef Danny Bowien, co-founder, Mission Chinese Food; Elana Karp, head chef & culinary co-founder, Plated; Erika Nardini, CEO, Barstool Sports; Jenna Wolfe, host of First Things First on Fox Sports; and Lyn Slater, The Accidental Icon/Influencer.

Financial terms tied to the new project were not announced, though the agreement stems from a partnership formed by Cheddar and Fusion that’s focused on original, long-form programming.

The series will run exclusively on Fusion to start (MVPD partners include DirecTV/AT&T, Dish Network, Verizon, Google Fiber, Charter Communications and Cox Communications along with several OTT partners). However, Cheddar can re-air episodes of the series later. Cheddar will also promote the new series.

“Our audience craves enriching programming that shares their curiosity, sharpness, and passion,” Daniel Eilemberg, president of Fusion, said in a statement. “We are excited to see the intimate, engaging interviews that have become a staple of Cheddar translated into a long-form format."

Steinberg added: “Fusion’s young, modern approach makes it a great partner for Cheddar and we are thrilled to be expanding our relationship with them. So many of the existing business interview shows are geared towards older audiences and we are excited to have a chance to produce engaging long-form interviews with a range of entrepreneurs that people in their 20s and 30s will be inspired by.”

Univision Communications and its millennial-targeted Fusion Media Group have agreed to combine forces to present a two-day mini-convention of sorts, just three weeks before the end of the 2016 presidential campaign.

The Oct. 14-15 event, titled RiseUp AS ONE,  will feature what Univision calls “a heavyweight lineup of artists, musicians, influencers and thought leaders” joining together to “celebrate music, diversity and unity through performances, talks and cultural expositions.”

The two-day Latin confab opens Friday, Oct. 14 ,with a series of thought leadership discussions “on issues related to unity and inclusion.”

On Saturday, Oct. 15, “RiseUp AS ONE” will conclude with a free ticketed concert featuring as-yet-unnamed headline acts.

The Univision broadcast network will air the three-hour live concert with Spanish-language commentary, while the Fusion pay TV network will do the same with English-language hosts. The coast-to-coast telecasts, originating from a yet-to-be-disclosed city, will air from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. (ET).

Company-wide promotion of RiseUp AS ONE is already underway, on Univision and UniMás television stations, and across the Univision Communications portfolio of radio stations and digital assets.

RiseUp AS ONE is the brainchild of Univision chief news, entertainment and digital officer Isaac Lee. The event will provide Latinos with an opportunity “to celebrate who we are and the way we live,” he said. The event is designed to engage its audience on Univision and its Fusion Media Group properties by celebrating the global dimension of friendships between neighbors and the “diversity that is — and has always been — at the heart of the American experience,” he added.

Camila Jimenez Villa, co-president and chief content officer of Fusion Media Group, added: “Through RiseUp AS ONE, we continue our focus on serving a new majority whose influence is rapidly growing. This rising generation wants meaningful content and experiences that reflect their values and passions.  We answer that call through an event that will serve as an awakening to the power of inclusivity in a changing America.”

Details on the location of the events will be unveiled in coming weeks, along with announcements regarding the concert’s headliners and supporting artists.

Just before Christmas 2015, financial news network CNBC reported that The Walt Disney Co.’s two-year-old joint venture agreement with Univision Communications for the English-language multicultural millennial-focused Fusion network was likely to end.

The Financial Times noted in its coverage that Univision could acquire Disney’s 50% stake in Fusion.

On April 21, that scenario became reality, as Univision said it had reached an agreement with Disney-owned ABC to become the sole owner of Fusion. Effective immediately, Univision assumed ABC’s distribution and ad-sales functions for the multiplatform Fusion. It also assumed full editorial control of Fusion content.

“The transition of ownership will happen once the transaction is completed, which is expected to be as soon as reasonably practical,” Univision said in a formal statement. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Fusion was launched in October 2013 with such journalistic heavyweights as Jorge Ramos and Alicia Menendez hosting English-language programs targeting bilingual and bicultural Latinos. Today, Fusion considers itself a multicultural millennial entertainment and information hub that super-serves Hispanics.

While Fusion has had distribution challenges for its cable television channel, it has flourished on digital platforms. In a statement made by Isaac Lee, Fusion’s CEO, in October 2015, he told staffers that the Fusion brand “is now reaching 25 million people a month.”

Now that Fusion is wholly owned by Univision, the company has housed it under the newly formed Fusion Media Group (FMG). “FMG will serve as the multiplatform destination for the new, rising American mainstream, delivering content that embodies the audience’s shared values and passion points across all platforms,” Univision said.

Aside from Fusion, FMG will include the Robert Rodriguez-launched El Rey Network, which specializes in action and “grindhouse-style content”; African-American news and information website The Root; and satirical news publication The Onion.

Also housed under FMG are three Onion-affiliated entities — spinoff entertainment-themed blog A.V. Club, viral content parody site Clickhole and phony gossip portal Starwipe — as well as Univision Digital and associated platform Flama; and Univision Music.

The latter entity should not be confused with Univision Music Group, now a part of Universal Music Latin Entertainment.

“This is an important time for Univision Communications, as we continue to evolve as a company to meet and exceed the demands of the cross-cultural influencers that we serve,” president and CEO Randy Falco said. “FMG is extremely well positioned to reach this young, diverse audience at scale and with passion, irreverence and authenticity. It will define and lead the zeitgeist of American youth.”

While Disney did not offer comment of its divestment in Fusion, it is interesting to note that in January 2016 ABC Family rebranded as Freeform in an effort to attract a larger segment of millennial viewers — matching Fusion’s desired consumer target.

Fusion and Fuse said they will have '420' flavored programming on hand today, April 20, of the informative and partying variety, respectively.

Fusion, the news network from Univision and ABC News, at 6 a.m. kicked off a slate of programming exploring the state of marijuana in America. It includes the premiere of the documentary Evergreen: The Road to Legalization, at 8 p.m.; Grass: The History of Marijuana, narrated by Woody Harrelson, at 10 p.m.; and a marathon of Fusion original series The Cannabusiness Report, hosted by chief cannabis correspondent Ryan Nerz.  

Fuse and fuse.tv will roll out a music video block from 4:20-7:30 p.m. that includes Cypress Hill’s “Insane In The Brain,” Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dog’s “Young Wild and Free” and A$AP Rocky’s “Jukebox Joints.” Also on the menu are pharmaceutical-friendly episodes of Everybody Hates Chris and Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce and the movie Cheech and Chong Get Out Of My Room. Here is a promo.

Multicultural-themed programming is riding a wave of ratings and critical success on TV, but that rising tide isn’t lifting all boats.

From Emmy Award-winning shows like Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black and its multicultural cast, to ratings hits like Fox’s Empire, Starz’s Power and ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat and Black-ish, ethnically diverse TV content is hot. But even in such a TV climate, executives at independently owned multicultural networks said their services still struggle to gain widespread distribution.

Even with a growing base of multicultural subscribers who watch more hours of television than white viewers — along with an increase of young, multicultural millennials who are either cord-cutters or cable-nevers — distributors aren’t rushing to sign up networks that target the industry’s current and future subscribers, executives said.

“Overall, 40% of the population is multicultural, so what all that means is multicultural is now the new mainstream,” said Tonia O’Connor, chief commercial officer and president of content distribution for Univision Communications, which also handles distribution duties for four-year-old, male-targeted El Rey Network and young, Hispanic audience-targeted news service Fusion.

“It’s good business to be in this business,” O’Connor said. “Whether distributors have come to embrace it yet or not, they absolutely have to in order to continue to have any growth in the future — they can no longer ignore the multicultural consumer or opportunity.”

A HOT CATEGORY

While most television observers recognize today’s lineup of quality content from cable, broadcast and over-the-top digital services like Netflix as a new Golden Age of Television, it’s also arguably the most prolific time for multicultural programming.

This comes as the U.S. grows more diverse, and as diverse groups grow more influential determining in how and when entertainment content is delivered.

African-Americans watched more than 44 hours of live and time-shifted TV a week during fourth-quarter 2015, well above the 31-hour average for all adults, according to the recent Nielsen Total Audience Report. Hispanics nearly double all viewers in minutes spent watching video on smartphones, while Asian-Americans use multimedia devices to view television nearly a full hour more than the general public does.

Given those realities, the assumption would be that multichannel-video providers would be aggressive in launching networks aimed at the growing, highly influential multicultural audience. But network executives said some distributors have yet to recognize the value of multicultural content.

Most high-profile shows with appeal to multicultural audiences air on mainstream networks backed by major media companies, Africa Channel executive vice president of content and global operations Narendra Reddy said, adding that independently-owned multicultural channels don’t have the budget or staff to develop and market such programming. But that doesn’t mean Africa Channel’s scripted movies and reality shows originating from the continent are any less valuable or appealing to multicultural viewers, Reddy said.

He added that most favored nations language in contracts, restrictions on social-media marketing and promotion of content on the Web, and a lack of negotiating power during contract talks have hampered Africa Channel’s ability to gain distribution as an independent network.

“Even if the heads of programming for these various distributors believe that this content that we have will resonate with audiences, basically they’re forced to carry networks from the companies that have far greater leverage than we do,” Reddy said.

That doesn’t sit well with multicultural viewers who respond favorably to content targeted toward them. According to a recent Horowitz Race, Diversity and Media survey, 64% of multicultural millennials said they found television shows featuring a mainly multicultural cast appealing, compared to 44% of white viewers.

Yet beyond a few select shows, network executives say such images are rare on the current lineup of cable channels.

STILL AN UNDERSERVED AUDIENCE

“A multicultural cable subscriber today sees his or her dollar being mainstream, but the reality is when they look at what’s being offered they’re seeing that there’s just not that much there,” said Mark Walton, president of sales and marketing for One Caribbean Television. “Even though you may see an article or some conversation around all of this, from the consumer’s perspective it gets back to ‘I have 500 channels and I only have four or five that are addressing some of the interests I have.’ ”

One Caribbean Television, which offers entertainment, news and weather content from such Caribbean nations as the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and Barbados, is currently offered on RCN with the network in distribution talks with several other operators. One Caribbean targets the nearly 10 million to 20 million African-Americans who have some connection to the Caribbean, as well as mainstream viewers who travel and have interest in the region.

“The consumer is paying X dollars but is getting X minus dollars in terms of value to them,” Walton said. “In order to breach that gap and reduce churn, you have to have the offerings that that consumer wants.”

Network executives said they recognize that MVPDs are under pressure to curb programming costs and adjust programming packages to prevent younger subscribers from churning or shifting to over-the-top subscription VOD services.

“[Distributors] might not be as confident to take risks on launching multicultural-themed channels,” Miguel Santos, general manager for Asian-American targeted network Myx TV, said. “The business environment is di_ cult — they’re seeing some churn, so it’s making a lot of MVPD executives risk-averse. They don’t really see at the moment the value of multicultural channels.”

One executive who said she does recognize the value of multicultural content is Verizon Fios executive director of content strategy and acquisition Michelle Webb. She told the Horowitz Associates Cultural Insights Forum in March that the telco is looking to balance that with finding the best ways to offer the most choice to consumers.

“It’s all about managing demand and bandwidth considerations,” she said.

Aspire TV has seen some small but noteworthy movement on the distribution front, vice president of business affairs and channel operations Melissa Ingram said. The African-American-targeted network, founded by basketball hall of famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, has seen its subscriber rolls grow to 34 million viewers since its 2012 launch; it projects it will be in 37 million homes by year-end.

“Not only is [the multicultural] audience is requesting this type of programming but … from a business standpoint, affiliates are starting to understand the importance of having diverse content,” she said. “They’ve seen the success of shows like Empire and they’ve seen a movement by subscribers demanding such content, which is forcing these large distributors to understand the importance and value of it and to get more content like that on their systems.”

As networks continue to push for linear distribution, others are exploring the Web in an eff ort to generate interest and awareness for their brands. Networks such as Myx TV, Fuse and One Caribbean Television use apps to give viewers a chance to check out video content from the networks, as well as some live programming.

BOOSTING ONLINE REACH

“If you want to reach a younger audience, you have to be available on all of the relevant devices, and you have to have content that’s available on-demand,” Fuse Media CEO Michael Schwimmer said. “Obviously, you have to be able to balance that with the network’s role within the pay TV ecosystem, but I think that it’s all doable and important. Anybody that doesn’t have a strong digital presence does so at their own risk.”

Myx TV’s Santos believes networks targeting multicultural millennials in particular may find online distribution a more attractive way of exposing the brand to key audiences. Asian-Americans, especially, tend to watch content online on various mobile devices, so anyone looking to reach that audience would fare well in the digital space, according to Santos.

Myx TV is considering launching an OTT service in the near future, although Santos would not disclose a time frame. “OTT is possibly the key to diversifying entertainment,” he said. “Given the competitive environment and the uncertainty within the industry, it would behoove us to look at all options to really get our content out.

“In the end, the power is with the viewer, and they will decide where they want to watch their content — if they want to watch it over the top we should be there, and if they want to watch it on a linear platform we should be there, too.”

As coverage of the cantankerous and unpredictable 2016 political election season draws big TV ratings for traditional cable-news networks, upstart channels targeting young millennials with political-themed content are campaigning online to reach one of the largest voting blocks in U.S. history.

Networks like Fusion, Revolt TV, Pivot and Fuse are looking to secure the votes of a politically engaged group of 18-to-34-year-olds looking for content that speaks to issues important to them — topics that aren’t always addressed by the cable news channels.

From online voter registration campaigns to millennial-focused reports from the major political party conventions to social-media initiatives on key issues such as immigration, police brutality and LGBT rights, network executives said it’s critical to provide content to millennials when and where they want it.

“We have seen from our audience that they are an active, socially relevant group, and they care about issues that can affect not only them but society at large, from Black Lives Matter to [the drinking-water crisis in] Flint to immigration issues and LGBT issues — this audience is vocal and they care about these issues,” Revolt TV CEO Keith Clinkscales said. “We wanted to make sure that we were uniquely positioned to impact the political conversation, and give the young people who consume our media an opportunity to amplify their voices.”

CROSSING PLATFORMS

To accomplish that, networks are taking a multiplatform approach to disseminating political news to an audience that watches less TV and spends more time online, executives said.

Millennials aged 18-34 may watch less live TV than any other demographic group, but they’re the most likely to use a connected-TV device such as Apple TV or Roku, according to a new Nielsen Total Audience Report for fourth-quarter 2015.

That age group also spent more than 11 hours per week using smartphones to access the Web and apps during fourth-quarter 2015, up from eight hours during the same period in 2014, according to Nielsen.

Millennials have followed the 2016 presidential campaign closely because the candidates have been so active on social media, David Quinn, senior brand lead for digital marketing firm Beamly, said.

“All the candidates are active on Twitter and using video on YouTube and have remained active in the political conversation with millennials,” Quinn said.

That leaves an opening for millennial-targeted networks to provide political content to an already engaged audience.

For Fuse, that means teaming with Hispanic-targeted, non-profit political organization Voto Latino to create a multiplatform initiative dubbed “Crash the Parties,” Fuse Media CEO Michael Schwimmer said. Millennial Latinos can vie for a chance to become Fuse reporters at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

Would-be reporters can submit a video to Fuse.tv for network viewers to vote on. Two winners will be chosen to represent the network at the conventions, providing frequent video updates both online and on he linear channel.

The network (then called Sí TV) ran a similar campaign with Voto Latino in 2008. “With the social media tools that are available in 2016 that were not available in 2008, it’s going to be even easier and more effective in getting out the word and getting people engaged in the process,” Schwimmer said.

Revolt’s “Revolt 2 Vote” initiative will include a weekly digital series on the revolt.tv website, featuring interviews with political leaders and insights from millennial thought leaders and influencers, Clinkscales said.

The music channel’s primarily digital political content will be headed by millennial journalist Amrit Singh as well as a “kitchen cabinet” of young political voices who will discuss the campaign on Revolt.tv and social-media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“The main thing is we have digital coverage because that’s where millennials are aggregating political content, and then we’ll do some linear programming as well,” he said.

As some 93 million millennials will be of voting age going into this year’s election, Clinkscales said it’s imperative to provide them information to make informed decisions.

“More than 30 million young people stayed home in 2012,” he said. “[Turnout] was very low — one of the lowest numbers on record. The frustration that young people have with the American political system is an opportunity to make sure we provide them with the engagement they need.”

The emerging networks are also hoping to reach millennial viewers in a way the bigger, more mainstream news networks haven’t so far. While both Fox News Channel and CNN ranked among the top 10 most-watched cable networks among total viewers during the first quarter 2016 among total viewers, neither is among the top 15 networks within the 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen.

“Millennials are not turning on the TV and watching the cable news networks,” Quinn said. “The shows that are speaking to the group are from external video Web shows.”

“They have their hands full,” Clinkscales said. “We have the luxury of going after one of America’s largest generations ever — 93 million strong and 40% from communities of color. This is the time to understand what’s going on with this 18-to-34-year-old audience.”

GOING TO THE MOVIES

Pivot will take a different tack to inform millennials about the political process, relying on politically-themed movies throughout the summer to keep politics on the minds of its younger viewers, Pivot general manager Kent Rees said.

The network will feature such films as All the President’s Men, Wag the Dog and The Fog of War.

“We’re more contextualizing the political process through these films that we’ve identified,” Rees said. “Millennials crave context and they crave it in all different directions, and having them sit down and watch a fi lm that comments on the process in general as well as documentaries like Caucus that touch on how the process works.”

The network will feature around the #justvote public-awareness campaign, which encourages young people to register and vote. Rees said there often isn’t a lot of information in the marketplace as to how to vote, so the eff ort will explain the process to help get millennials to the voting booth.

“Their involvement is clear, and it’s a great way to galvanize them,” Rees said. “It’s the largest generation in American history, and they’ve only just begun to understand their power and the opportunities to affect change in the country at large.”

Fusion has extended its streaming reach with the launch of its Watch Fusion app for the Amazon Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick.

In addition to a mix of long- and short-form fare, including highlights from programs such as AMERICA with Jorge Ramos and Real Future, the app also provides an authenticated live stream of the millennials-focused network and on-demand access to digital series including This Shouldn’t Be News, The Curls Room and Sex+Life.  

"Our aim is to deliver a FUSION-branded experience everywhere our young, connected audience is consuming content,” Fusion CEO Isaac Lee said, in a statement. “We’re thrilled that with the launch of WATCH FUSION on Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, millions of multicultural millennials will have a new way to access our content.

Other OTT platforms supported by Fusion include the Apple TV, Roku players and Roku TVs, PlayStation consoles, and Android TV-powered devices, among others.

Fusion, a joint venture of Univision Communications and Disney/ABC Television Network, launched in October 2013. MVPD partners include DirecTV/AT&T U-verse, Dish Network, Cablevision Systems, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Verizon FiOS and Google Fiber. 

The 2016 presidential election is a year away, and yet this race for the White House has already established itself as arguably the most influential political campaign in cable television history.

For large, mainstream cable-news networks like Fox News Channel, CNN and CNBC, the Republican and Democratic debates have provided record ratings and, at least for now, some sizable year-to-year post-debate ratings lifts for their respective primetime lineups as they continue to cover the presidential candidates.

For niche and upstart news networks without scheduled televised debates, the 2016 presidential campaign is shaping up to be nothing short of a brand-defining event. Networks such as Al Jazeera America, One America News Network and Fusion are looking to superserve their respective audiences with issues-oriented political coverage that will stand out in a very noisy and crowded political-news marketplace.

“It’s actually happened this season a lot earlier than anyone expected,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said. “It used to be that the political season began after Labor Day of the year the candidates were running. Now it’s starting much earlier, so people are really excited.”

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Indeed, Fox News Channel, CNN, CNBC and Fox Business Network have all set network ratings records with their various Republican and Democratic debates. The latest network to benefit from viewer interest in the GOP contest is FBN, which averaged 13.5 million viewers for its economics-driven debate last Tuesday (Nov. 10).

FBN’s performance follows record-setting showings by sister network Fox News’s Aug. 6 Republican debate, which drew 25 million viewers, cable’s largest-ever non-sports audience; CNN’s Sept. 16 Republican debate, which pulled in 23 million viewers; and CNBC’s much-talked-about Oct. 28 Republican debate, which garnered 14 million watchers.

CNN also drew 15 million viewers for its Oct. 13 Democratic debate.

The debates have helped all three networks post year-to-year gains for their primetime news and political-related programming as viewers seek out more information on the candidates and their positions.

“For these networks, in many ways, it’s a unique situation like a Super Bowl — they’re going to get a lot more sampling of viewers that normally do not watch or only occasionally watch their network,” Bill Carroll, senior vice president and director of content strategy for Katz Media Group, said. “Over time, we’ll see how they capitalize on that with what they do in front of and behind the debates and whether they can expose viewers to their personalities and their approach to news.”

The early interest in the 2016 campaign is not lost on new and upstart news networks that see the election season as an opportunity to firmly establish their brands with viewers. But although it’s important for niche and targeted news networks to cover breaking news from the candidates on the campaign trail (alongside the broadcasters and mainstream cable-news networks), it’s also crucial for those smaller services to provide content that’s relevant to their specific target audiences, network executives said.

“We see an incredible role for Fusion to play in addressing some of the gaps that you’re seeing in the coverage that we’re getting from traditional media companies,” said Daniel Eilemberg, senior vice president of Fusion, a news network targeted to millennial viewers.

For the two-year-old Fusion, jointly owned by Disney-ABC Television Group and Univision Communications, that means focusing on issues of interest to a young, diverse audience — including many first-time voters — such as climate change and technology.

“This is a generation that is more diverse and numerous than any other generation in the history of America, and they’ve seen technology affect their lives in different ways,” Eilemberg said. “They want to know what the government is going to do about these things, and we’re not having those discussions.”

Fusion doesn’t have journalists embedded with each respective campaign, but Eilemberg said the network’s reporters are working to get candidates to respond to specific issues across the country.

He pointed to the efforts of Jorge Ramos — host of the network’s America With Jorge Ramos and anchor of Univision’s flagship newscast Noticiero Univision — who famously in August was escorted out of a press conference for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after pressing Trump on his controversial views on immigration.

“We have a group of journalists that have really strong specializations, and we’ve asked them to track the candidates on those issues across the country,” Fusion’s Eilemberg said. “They are asking the questions that other reporters may not be asking.”

Al Jazeera America will tackle its first presidential election by focusing on the stories behind the candidates and the election process. The 61 millionsubscriber network — which launched in 2013 after Qatar-based Al Jazeera purchased the Al Gore-founded channel Current TV — will partner with the Center for Public Integrity to investigate the flow of money into political campaigns, AJAM president Kate O’Brian said.

The network’s “Buying of the President” franchise will yield several special reports in 2016, including in-depth financial profiles of the top candidates and the role of so-called Super PACs within the election process.

“We’re talking about the candidates and their policies, but we’re explaining to our viewers what the effects of those policies might be and going for the human story,” O’Brian said. “We believe its important to not repeat the same lines over and over again all day long, but to move the issues and stories forward by illuminating things for our audience.”

The need to provide viewers with an alternative voice to mainstream broadcast and cable news outlets is a priority for up-and-coming news networks. TheBlaze, founded in 2011 by conservative media personality Glenn Beck, will tailor its election coverage to connect more directly with a core audience that is already engaged with the brand through its website.

TheBlaze TV CEO Kraig Kitchin said the network will look to empower viewers through its coverage of the issues, subjects and candidates during an election season where more people are looking to get their voices heard. TheBlaze will talk to its audience via social media such as Facebook and Twitter, which Kitchin called an unprecedented “amplification” of individual voices with regards to politics.

The presidential election “is an approachable conversation more than ever before,” Kitchin said. “There is a sense of empowerment; that individuals have a voice in this conversation, either through social media or through mass media or through participation in events where many more people think that they may have influence on an outcome by their participation.”

Al Jazeera America will tap the electorate with a series of regularly scheduled vignettes in which viewers from across the political spectrum will have a chance to discuss the issues that affect them, O’Brian said.

And the candidates themselves are showing interest in alternative coverage from the smaller news outlets, network executives said. Newsmax’s Ruddy said candidates from Trump to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have already appeared on the network. Newsmax hopes to invite all of the GOP candidates to a presidential forum somewhere in the South Florida area in February, Ruddy said, but no further details were available at press time.

“We see Newsmax as a neutral platform and we want all the candidates to be able to come on and detail their platforms and positions without feeling that we’re going to ambush them or give them gotcha questions,” he said. “We’ve had almost every single Republican candidate in the field appear on the network and most appear pretty regularly. This is really democracy at work.”

TheBlaze earlier this month threw its hat into the ring to host the Republican National Committee’s Feb. 26 GOP debate in Houston. The RNC pulled the debate from NBC after what GOP officials said were biased questions from CNBC moderators during the Oct. 28 debate. The RNC has yet to disclose further plans for the Houston event.

In a letter to the RNC, TheBlaze’s Beck said the network was prepared to “produce a new kind of debate in both substance and distribution that would stay away from questions that produce only ‘sound bites.’ ”

With all of the cable news networks offering news on the 2016 campaign almost a year before Election Day, some executives expressed concern that viewer fatigue could set in even before next year’s primary season kicks off . “There is certainly can be some viewer fatigue, so you have to find a balance and a fi ne line with that,” TheBlaze’s Kitchin said.

To avoid that situation, Al Jazeera’s O’Brian said networks need to keep providing interesting, thought-provoking content that will keep viewers riveted throughout the long political season.

“If you are a media organization that is repetitive and does the same thing all the time, viewers will look for something else,” she said. “There are those who can spend all day talking about one soundbite from one candidate, and have pundits weighing in on the views of the horse race. It’s not about the horse race, but about the issues.”

In a Sept. 10 staff memo, Fusion CEO Isaac Lee said the network would lay off staffers following an examination of the operations and programming strategy at the Miami-based joint venture between Univision and Disney-ABC Television Group. News of the memo and layoffs first surfaced in published reports in mid-September.

With the restructuring, Fusion in 2016 will focus on three main areas of programming: U.S. presidential election coverage, investigative special reports and “topical comedy” programming. New shows will include 12 new enterprise projects and Traffic, an eight-hour miniseries about black market trading around the world.

Among the canceled shows are Come Here and Say That, the weekly pop-culture show hosted by Alicia Menendez. Menendez will now serve as chief election and immigration correspondent for weekly news show America With Jorge Ramos.

Soccer Gods, a weekday sports show hosted by Simon Carr and Nando Vila, is now available via podcast.

Fusion launched in 2013 as a general-interest network super-serving Latino millennials. However, the network has struggled while its digital home — Fusion.net — has seen traffic leap from 5.8 million visitors in July 2015 to 8.3 million in September, Lee said in the internal memo.

In a Securities and Exchange Commission report filed by Univision earlier this year, the programmer reported $28 million in revenue and $63 million of expenses for Fusion.

Fusion, a network focused on millennials, said it has launched on Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT-TV service for cord-cutters and cord-nevers.

Fusion is offered on Sling TV’s “World News Extra” add-on pack, which sells for $5 per month on top of Sling TV’s core $20 per month “Best of Live TV” service.  The add-on pack also features NDTV 24x7, News18 India,  euronews, France 24, HLN, and RT Network.

Update: Bloomberg Television and CNN are part of Sling TV's core package. 

Fusion , a joint venture of Univision and Disney/ABC Television Network, also offers content via traditional pay TV providers such as DirecTV, Dish, Cablevision Systems, Charter, Cox, AT&T U-verse, Google Fiber, and Verizon FiOS, and via apps for platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Spotify, Vessel and Flipps. 

 “FUSION is committed to producing programming for a young, diverse audience that informs, provokes, and entertains. With our launch on Sling TV, FUSION is taking another critical step towards reaching our digitally-native audience in all the places they are consuming content,” said FUSION CEO Isaac Lee, in a statement. 

Fusion will look to expand its original programming portfolio with the launch of several documentary series and specials over the next few months.

Among the new docu-series slated for the network is The Cannabusiness Report, a four-part series revolving around the cannabis culture and industry premiering in August; The Chair, which follows the work of two first time film directors also debuting in August; My Selfie Life, a 10-episode series premiering in October in which young people film themselves living their lives; and Drug Wars: Season 2, a weekly series that chronicles the reality of international anti-narcotics operations, said network officials.

Other documentaries/specials include Miami Porn: Sex Work in the Sunshine State, premiering Sunday which follows the new entrepreneurial pornographers of Miami and how they’re changing the adult entertainment industry; Number One with a Bullet, (debuting Aug. 2) which pulls back the curtain on gun violence in hip-hop America; The Thread (Aug. 23) which exposes the impact amateur internet writers are having on journalism; The Search for Sexy (Aug. 25) in which podcaster Sandra Daugherty look at what makes someone sexy; Drone Nation (Sept. 1) which examines how drone technology is changing the way we see the world; and Top Spin (Oct. 3) which features three teenagers battling their way through the world of competitive ping pong.

Three shows that have yet to be scheduled include Tom Felton Meets the Superfans, which follows actor Tom Felton (Harry Potter) as he seeks insight into the world of superfans and celebrity; The Drug Warriors, which follows the lives of those battling the drug war on different frontline; and Can You Dig This, which takes an inside look at the urban garden movement in South L.A. said network officials.

“We know our audience has an insatiable hunger for thought provoking entertainment. Fusion is committed to showcasing stories that take our audience on journeys to worlds that they may not ordinarily be exposed to,” said Fusion chief programming officer Wade Beckett said in a statement. “We are continuing to double down on content that resonates with our diverse audience. This slate of original series, documentaries, and specials nicely complements our existing news and topical-comedy offerings.”

Reny Diaz has been appointed as vice president of Insights & Strategy at NBCUniversal’s Hispanic Enterprises and Content, reporting to Jacqueline Hernandez, chief marketing officer. In this newly created role, Diaz, based in New York, will be responsible for the development of data analysis, framing actionable insights and creating long term strategies for growing Hispanic audiences across the NBCUniversal portfolio of brands and business divisions including Entertainment, News, Sports, Digital, Theme Parks and Universal Pictures, NBCU said in a release. Diaz will work collaboratively within the portfolio in the planning, creation and communication of research-based strategies and innovations and will serve as an integral member of the Hispanic Enterprises and Content leadership team responsible for driving audiences and revenue to NBCU multiplatforms.

Previously, Diaz was research director at Fusion and Univisión Noticias, where he led the research and insights team. In 2008, he was appointed as director of Client Engagement at Nielsen, supporting the advancement of Nielsen's Latino thought leadership strategy and the company's internal Latino measurement initiatives. He also served as product lead for Nielsen TV Ratings, the first media research product on the company's MediaView platform.

Fusion will air its own version of ABC’s late-night news show Nightline, the network said Thursday.

Nightline On Fusion will launch Feb. 18 air at 8 p.m. and will include stories from the late-night program that resonate with Fusion’s diverse, millennial audience. ABC News’ Gio Benitez and Fusion’s Kimberly Brooks will host the series.

ABC News will produce the series. The two-year old Fusion network is owned by Univision Communications Inc. and the Disney/ABC Television Network.

"We are pleased to bring Nightline's immersive storytelling style to a younger generation -- a generation that craves news content that reflects their diverse interests and passions," said Fusion Senior Vice President and Chief Programming Officer Wade Beckett in a statement.  

The Spanish-language media in the U.S. has extened its deal with Falco, who will remain as president and CEO for the next four years.

Under Falco's tutelage since 2011, Univision has broadened its portfolio. The company has partnered with ABC on the millennial-targeted news network Fusion, invested in Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network, and launched digital net UVideos. Currently, Univision boasts 16 broadcast, cable and digital networks, plus 61 local TV stations and 67 radio stations, among other holdings.

“Since taking the helm in 2011, Randy has successfully guided Univision through a period of exceptional growth and innovation, adeptly navigating a climate of unprecedented industry change and positioning the company for the future,” said Haim Saban, chairman of Univision Communications Inc.

Fusion will launch its content on the Apple TV digital service, the news/pop culture channel said Tuesday.

The millennials-targeted service will offer a mix of original programming on Apple TV, including video highlights from Fusion’s daily and weekly topical programs including Alicia Menendez Tonight, AMERICA with Jorge Ramos, Fusion Live, and Soccer Gods, as well as full episodes of such shows as The Cannabusiness Report, Strange Medicine, Back Home, The Dukes of 2 Square, and Drug Wars.

 The network will also offer a first look at the season premiere of its original series No You Shut Up, said network officials.

 “Fusion’s audience was born on the digital frontier,” Fusion CEO Isaac Lee said in a statement. “With the launch of Fusion on Apple TV, we are taking a significant step to make sure we are reaching this powerful and dynamic audience everywhere they consume content.” 

Fusion will add an animated series to its programming lineup in December from web production company Mondo Media.

The series, Like, Share, Die, will mix topical comedy with several of Mondo Media’s original YouTube-based series, according to Mondo. Fusion has commissioned 20 episodes of the series, which will premiere this December on Fusion’s cable network as well as the network’s digital platform, Fusion.net, with segments uploaded to both Fusion and Mondo’s YouTube channels.

"Mondo has a unique sensibility and platform for finding, producing and building large, loyal digital audiences," said Wade Beckett, Fusion’s Chief Programming Officer in a statement. "They've demonstrated they can adapt their best performing properties into longer forms for television and feature film, so we are excited to bring their unique brand of comedy to Fusion’s audience."

Fusion announced a RiseUp gathering today, to be filled with global activists, artists, technologists and political leaders, as they discuss positive changes for global protesting.

The youth-led activism summit is set for Nov. 19 in Union Market, Washington DC, where the role of technology, music and art in movements across the U.S. will be highlighted.

“New information technologies and modes of thinking are redefining and enabling social activism. RiseUp will bring together people for the first time who have been involved in historic movements around the world, to give these youthful leaders an unprecedented opportunity to learn from each other and understand the potential and possibilities of these movements,” saidchair of RiseUp, Marcus Brauchli in a release.

The event hopes to connect youth ideas to action, with speakers including Senator Cory Booker, U.S. Ambassador of the United Nations, Samantha Power and many more.

The content partners involved with Fusion for RiseUp include Brigade, Ryot, Summit and Unicef. To learn more, click here. RiseUp will also be available for live-streaming on Fusion as well.

Speakers and Panelists Include:

Samantha Power--US Ambassador the United Nations

Cory Booker – Senator, New Jersey

Nadya Tolokonikova and Masha Alyokhina – Pussy Riot

Michael Tubbs – City Councilmember from documentary "True Son"

Wael Ghonim – Internet activist, Egypt

Ian Somerhalder – Actor and Activist

Walid Al-Saqaf – Cyber activist, Yemen

Caitria O'Neil – Founder, recovers.org

Gisela Perez de Acha – Activist, 132 movement, Mexico

Benjamin Knight – Founder, Loomio, New Zealand

Aliya Rahman – Program director, Code for Progress

Naomi Hirabayashi – Dosomething.org

Maria Ressa – CEO, Rappler

Gayle Karen Young – Wikimedia Foundation

Mike Kim – Human rights activist, North Korea

Dante Barry – Million Hoodies Movement

Eileen Guo – Impassion Media

Yon Goicoechea – Opposition activist, Venezuela

Liu Lin Wei – Taiwan

David Burstein – Author of Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World

Sascha Meinrath – Founder, X-lab

Marvin Ammori – Net neutrality activist

Chia-liang Kao – Founder, g0v.tw

Jo-Anne McArthur – Photographer, animal rights activist, "The Ghosts In Our Machine"

Liz Marshall – Director, "The Ghosts In Our Machine"

Karim Amer – Producer, "The Square"

Chernor Bah – Youth activist

Cansu Yapici – Taksim Solidairty, Turkey

Madison Stewart – a.k.a. Shark Girl

David Keyes – Founder, movements.orh

Marc Rotenberg – Executive director, EPIC

Emily Jacobi – Founder, Digital Democracy

Iris Andrews--Greenpeace

Bryn Mooser – Founder of RYOT

Sofia Campos – Board Chair, United We Dream

Jorge Ramos – Emmy award-winning journalist, Anchor of Fusion’s “America”

Tim Pool – Award-winning journalist, notorious for use of mobile technology in reporting

Alicia Menéndez – Host of Fusion's “Alicia Menendez Tonight”

Millennium-targeted Fusion has teamed with online content distributor Maker Studios to create a block of short-form video to air on the network.

The Maker branded block of programing will feature short-form content from across the Maker online network beginning with a best of 2014 special, said network officials. Maker will additionally offer Fusion content via its YouTube channel.

 “Maker has an exceptional track record for identifying talent and content that resonates with millennials in the digital space. We are thrilled to bring some of that content to our television audience,” said Isaac Lee, Fusion chief executive officer in a statement. “We expect this will be just the beginning of a powerful, dynamic partnership with Maker.”

Fusion will partner with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism to offer working fellowships to graduates specializing in specific journalistic areas.

The fellowships will fall within three units; digital storytelling, investigative reporting and documentary production, according to the network. As part of the fellowship program, three recent graduates will be hired annually to work for the pop culture news network Fusion, a joint venture of Univision Communications Inc., and the Disney/ABC television network. 

Fellows will work for an initial six-month period at either the network’s Miami headquarters or Los Angeles production offices and will be assigned to one of Fusion’s production units.

“Millennials are the most socially and culturally connected generation, so we have to think beyond the traditional modes of journalism,” said Fusion CEO Isaac Lee in a statement. “By creating a pipeline of innovation between Fusion and the world’s best journalism schools like USC Annenberg, Fusion can continue to push the envelope and develop new ways to communicate with this young, diverse generation.” 

Fusion has named former ESPN and NBCUniversal executive Wade Beckett as its chief programming officer, the network said Thursday.

Beckett effectively replaces Bill Kimball who is stepping down from the chief programming officer position. Beckett will oversee programming for the Disney/ABC Television Network/Univision network, according to Fusion CEO Isaac Lee.

Most recently Beckett served as the showrunner for ESPN’s SportsNation, and previously worked at NBCUniveral’s G4 network.

“Wade is an experienced producer with a demonstrated track record of developing and leading innovative programming that resonates with new audiences. I have been impressed by Wade’s passion, focus, and strong production experience and am confident that he will take Fusion to the next level as we develop new, innovative content,” said Lee said in an email to staff. “I look forward to seeing Wade’s enthusiasm, ideas, and leadership spread throughout Fusion as we experiment and innovate with new ways to connect our young, diverse audience to the stories that matter most to them.”

News/pop culture network Fusion said it will offer a multichannel livestream feed of this weekend’s Lollapalooza music festival.

Fusion will carry Red Bull TV’s digital broadcast of the three-day festival beginning tonight across all of its digital platforms. The multi-channel livestream event will feature 100+ live performances from Chicago’s Grant Park, as well as behind-the-scenes access, exclusive interviews, unique camera angles, and 200+ hours of exclusive content, said network officials.

Performers scheduled to appear during the Aug. 1-3 festival include Eminem, Outkast, Kings Of Leon, Lorde and the Avett Brothers.