Digital streaming service HBCU Go has inked a 10-year agreement to be the sports rights partner for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAA), the two parties announced.

The deal gives the Allen Media Group-owned digital service linear cable, streaming, broadcast, video on demand and pay-per-view rights to CIAA football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, Olympics sports and the football championship game, according to HBCU Go. 

As part of the deal, HBCU Go will offer five CIAA football games on TheGrio Cable Television Network. HBCU will also distribute  the 2023 CIAA Football Championship on broadcast television stations throughout throughout the U.S. -- including CBS owned-and-operated duopoly stations in key television markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Sacramento, Miami, Tampa, and Pittsburgh, said the service. 

As part of HBCU Go’s partnership with the CIAA, a portion of the funds will be invested to upgrade the CIAA’s 13 member schools' campus-wide sports and broadcast equipment to ensure everyone has equitable resources and to assure quality broadcasts across the conference, said HBCU Go. 

“We are proud to amplify the CIAA and all of their team sports. The rich heritage and legacy of the CIAA and the amazing athletes who have participated in the conference since its inception are a natural fit for HBCU GO,” said Allen Media Group Founder, Chairman and CEO Byron Allen in a statement. 

Added CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams-Parker: “This media deal with [Allen Media Group] is a game changer for the CIAA and unprecedented in Division II. We will expand the CIAA Sports Network platform through HBCU GO to give greater exposure for our 13 member schools and their student athletes.” 

Also: Byron Allen’s 'Comics Unleashed' Joins CBS Late Night Lineup

ESPN and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media production company will take to the links for a third season of the Why Not Us sports documentary series focusing on the Howard University golf program.

The eight-episode, Why Not Us: Howard Golf series debuts August 21 on ESPNU and will follow both the Howard men’s and women’s golf teams as they look to compete at the top of college tournaments across the country, according to ESPN. 

This past spring, the Howard men’s golf team in its third year as a Division 1 program won its second consecutive PGA Works Collegiate Championship, while the Howard women’s team placed three players on the Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team in 2023 in its second year of competition. 

“As we continue to shine a light on HBCU culture through the Why Not Us series, we’re inspired by the student-athletes, coached and administrators who dare to forge their own legacies while embracing and celebrating the history of their institutions,” ESPN Films senior VP of original content Brian Lockhart said in a statement. “The story of Howard Golf is particularly interesting, not only for the tremendous, immediate success of the program, but the way in which Coach [Sam] Puryear, his student-athletes and Steph Curry show us what is possible when you truly believe in a common vision and you put in the work to get there.”

Streaming service HBCU Go will air five Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) college football games this fall as part of an exclusive partnership with the Division II conference.

HBCU Go will launch its telecast schedule with the 15-member SIAC Conference with the September 9 Fort Valley State-Clark Atlanta contest and conclude October 28 with the Miles-Albany State game, said the Allen Media Group-owned service.

Also: Byron Allen Acquires HBCUGo.TV, Streaming Service for Historically Black Colleges

“The HBCU GO team is excited to partner with SIAC to bring their conference games to a broader audience,” HBCU Go president Curtis Symonds said in a statement. “We are committed to bringing the best of HBCU culture and sports to our growing audience and SIAC fans. We hope to develop a wide catalog of additional sporting events with the SIAC.”

SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman added: “"Through this innovative streaming platform, we invite fans from around the world to join us in celebrating the indomitable spirit of SIAC football. This new era of digital engagement opens doors to boundless opportunities and ensures that every thrilling moment will be etched in the memories of our dedicated supporters. We extend our sincere gratitude to HBCU GO for their invaluable collaboration, and we can't wait to share the excitement and passion of SIAC football with fans everywhere."

KRON San Francisco will air 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) basketball games this winter. The games happen Saturday mornings, starting January 7, and cover eight weeks, with a doubleheader on each Saturday.

All 16 games will be preceded by 30-minute pregame show HBCU GameTime. The first Saturday game is 9 a.m. and the second one tips off at noon.

The action starts with Johnson C. Smith versus Elizabeth City State, then Claflin against Bowie State, January 7.

Games will feature teams from the CIAA, which includes Winston-Salem State University, Bowie State University, Virginia State University, Fayetteville State University, Elizabeth City State University, Virginia Union University, Shaw University and Lincoln University. 

The games are provided to KRON by PRC Communications through its Black College Sports Broadcasting Network division. 

Nexstar owns KRON, a MyNetworkTV affiliate. ■

WISH Indianapolis will air 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) football games this fall. The games will involve Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) teams, including Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M, Texas Southern and Alcorn State. 

The weekly broadcasts will include halftime shows and the high-level marching bands HBCU colleges are known for. The action starts September 3 with the HBCU Go Sport Kick-Off Show, featuring HBCU alum and NFL standouts. A week later, Albany State plays Florida A&M. 

Circle City Broadcasting owns WISH. It acquired WISH-WNDY, a CW-MyNetworkTV duo, in 2019. 

“Circle City Broadcasting is committed to offering unique and diverse programming, and we are excited to expand our sports lineup to include this power-packed conference,” said DuJuan McCoy, owner, president and CEO of Circle City. 

WISH said the “must-watch games” on the station schedule include Southern versus Texas Southern September 17, on tape delay starting at 1 a.m., and Florida A&M versus Grambling State at 2 p.m. on October 15. The schedule concludes November 19 with Texas Southern versus Alabama A&M. ■

 A+E Networks has teamed with Bowie State University to provide students of the Historically Black College with real-world work experience through the company, both parties announced Monday.

the A+E Networks Apprenticeship Program, which starts in Fall 2022 and runs through the Spring 2023 semester, will match eligible Bowie State students with experienced A+E staffers through a remote work experience in graphic design, marketing, digital content distribution, social media creative and digital media production within various departments at A+E, the company said.

Bowie State students will also have the opportunity to learn from executives in the media industry through mentorship, special presentations and hands-on sessions to build professional skills while matriculating in their regular class schedule.

“We set out to design a program that would offer students from a range of academic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds an opportunity to gain real-world work experience and mentorship in creative fields while completing their degrees,” said Paul Buccieri, President and Chairman of A+E Networks Group in a statement.  “We wanted students to have a unique opportunity to learn, but also meaningfully contribute to A+E Networks and have a substantial impact on our communications, CSR and promotional campaigns.”

Added A+E Networks’ Chief Human Resources Officer & Chief Diversity Officer Karen Gray: “A+E Networks is passionately committed to building an inclusive and high-impact culture that inspires creativity, collaboration, coordination, accountability and trust.  The apprenticeship program is one of many steps our organization continues to take to reflect the communities we reach and to promote positive change. Our new flexible work policy has leveled the playing field for students in the apprenticeship program as they join the majority of the A+E workforce who have chosen to work remotely or in a hybrid situation. We look forward to welcoming these students to A+E this fall and to building a sustained partnership with Bowie State.” ■ 

The CW has greenlit the docuseries March, about the competitive world of HBCU band culture. Embedded inside the Prairie View A&M University marching band, The Marching Storm, the series “will capture the blood, sweat, and tears each member sheds to make it to the field while balancing their dynamic college life,” said the network.

There are eight episodes and March begins Jan. 24. The show shifts to Sundays on Feb. 27.

Prairie View A&M is in Texas. The Marching Storm has 300 members. 

“March showcases the dedicated and energetic group of college students at Prairie View A&M University—from drum majors and dancers to the flag team and all the section players—as they navigate performing in one of the most prestigious HBCU marching bands along with tackling a rigorous academic schedule and maintaining a high grade point average,” said The CW. 

From Stage 13, March is executive produced by Cheryl Horner McDonough, Jamail Shelton, Shari Scorca and Marcel Fuentes. ■

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group said it acquired HBCUGo.TV, a streaming service serving the 105 historically Black colleges and universities from Symonds-Evans Media LLC.

Allen has been creating a growing media empire, buying up The Weather Channel and a chain of local television stations. This acquisition bolsters the company’s reach into African-American audiences. Allen Media Group recently launched theGrio.TV as an over-the-air network.

HBCUGo.TV this year made a deal with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association to televise 44 games during the current football season and will air men’s and women’s basketball games.

Allen Media Group also acquired a library of more than 5,000 hours of content in the HBCUGo.TV library, featuring HBCU students and alumni.

Also Read: Byron Allen: We Must Have Economic Inclusion for Black-Owned Media

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The HBCU brand represents over 184 years of historic excellence, dating back to 1837, which helped cultivate some of the world’s greatest minds and talent, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Spike Lee, Alice Walker, Samuel L. Jackson, Earl Graves, Oprah Winfrey, Chadwick Boseman, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Common, Booker T. Washington, Taraji P. Henson, Judge Kevin Ross, Langston Hughes, Katherine Johnson, Kenya Barris, and Vice President Kamala Harris, to name a few,” Allen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, said in a statement.

“HBCUGo.TV positions us to speak to the heart and soul of Black America 24/7, and helps us stay strongly connected with one of the most valuable, untapped audiences in the world,” Allen said.

Cable executives Curtis Symonds, Clint Evans and Candace Walker in 2010 originally announced plans to start up the HBCU Network as a basic cable network featuring sports content. The schools were initially expected to have a 20% interest in the networks. Symonds pitched Comcast on adding the network as part of a commitment to launch minority-owned or targeted channels after buying NBCUniversal, but Comcast didn't add HBCU TV so the network instead launched as a digital platform.

Symonds launched the HBCU Go app in 2019 as a companion to HBCU TV.

Allen Media said the current HBCUGo.TV management teams will continue to manage the HBCUGo.TV platform. The group has strong ties to the schools and sports conference commissioners that the service will want to continue.

“We are thrilled to be a part of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group and his vision to make HBCUGo.TV the ultimate destination celebrating the excellence of HBCUs and their alumni,” HBCUGo.TV CEO Symonds said. “Our pioneer platform offers a global audience all aspects of the HBCU culture and positions the millions of brilliant young minds and alumni throughout the HBCU universe to help change the world for the greater good.” 

The pro basketball world will be focused on Atlanta this Sunday as the NBA holds its annual All-Star game festivities, which TNT will air live.

Unlike previous NBA All-Star weekends, where events were held over two days, contests like the 3-Point Contest, the Slam Dunk Contest and the All-Star Game itself will all take place on March 7. The NBA will also pay tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities through HBCU-inspired elements incorporated into the broadcast and in-arena during the event.  

I caught up with Turner Sports executive VP and chief content officer Craig Barry to discuss the challenges in producing this year’s All-Star game while still in the midst of the pandemic. Barry also talked about audience expectations for the game, as well as TNT’s second-half season NBA coverage. Here’s an edited excerpt from our conversation. 

Picture This: What adjustments did you have to make for this year’s All-Star game in comparison to last year’s contest? 

Craig Barry: Usually, as soon as we finish an All-Star Game, we're preparing for the next All-Star Game — we look at what we did right, what we did wrong and how to make it a better experience for the fan. This year, it was probably about six weeks ago when we had the realization that an All-Star Game was going to happen. So the challenges of preparing for something in six weeks that we normally quite frankly have a year to think about — and then layered on top of that, the challenge of health and safety, which is obviously the priority — is a relatively large undertaking. Being in Atlanta definitely helps. We’re in our backyard where there's infrastructure already in place. We do have a lot of experience around health and safety protocols having worked in [last season’s NBA] bubble, having done The Match [golf event in 2020], and throughout the [NBA] season this year, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk and the necessary due diligence that needs to be done in order to create the safest environment possible.

PT: What should fans expect from this year’s game that’s different from previous events?

CB: There’s a new format going from two days worth of events and consolidating it into a single evening. We’ve worked with the NBA to come up with a format that makes sense for everyone involved. Disruption breeds innovation, and I think it's an interesting prospect that we are putting all of the weekend into one, six-hour window. It's not optimal, and it's nothing that we would do going forward, but it is an opportunity to be creative and innovative around the opportunity that's given to us. This idea about doing the three-point contest and the skills competition in the hour and a half leading up to the All-Star game, and then airing the dunk contest at halftime is, I think from a fan experience, a really interesting prospect.

On top of that, having all of our talent — whether they're in the booth or in the studio contributing to the entire night of events — is, for me, an interesting opportunity for the fans. We’re leaning into a one-off opportunity and we’re hoping to be as creative and innovative with it as possible.

PT: Are you satisfied with the ratings performance of Turner Sports’ NBA telecasts leading up to the All-Star Game?

CB: We've seen about an 8% to 10% uptick in general. That's pretty admirable when you think about the emotional and mental fatigue that has set in across the nation, and it says a lot about the NBA that people are still tuning in and ratings are up. For the All-Star game, viewers will see the best 24 best players in the world play on the court, and that is a compelling enough reason to watch. I think people are going to be genuinely interested in the format to kind of buckle up for a Sunday evening and watch it all the way through. I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll see good numbers.

PT: Are you also confident the league’s ratings momentum will carry over into the second half of the season?

CB: The second half of the season is the most important season — I’m not discounting the first half of the season, but it’s the drive for the playoffs. The games elevate, the players elevate and the stakes elevate. I feel confident that we're going to continue to see strong, sustainable ratings, if not a certain amount of lift.

Read also: TNT Commissions Documentary on 'Inside the NBA' Show

It is imperative that students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) get access to affordable, reliable broadband," said FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, particularly in a time so focused on distance learning.

That is because the pandemic has highlighted, and exacerbated, the systemic inequities in healthcare, education, and employment, he said, and it is HBCU students, and alumni, that are on the front line in the push for political, social and economic justice.

Also Read: Starks Convenes HBCU Roundtable

Starks was speaking at the FCC's HBCU Presidents' Roundtable Feb. 18, which he organized.

One piece of good news is that Pell Grant recipients are automatically eligible for some of the $3.2 billion in Emergency Broadband Benefit funding Congress allocated in the December COVID-19 aide package and for which the FCC has to come up with rules by the end of next week for handing out. Nearly three quarters of HBCU students are eligible for the grants. The EBB provides both a subsidy for home broadband service and money toward devices.

"[W]e must make crucial investments to connect HBCU students, and more broadly, to the communities they come from and the areas surrounding these institutions," he said. "The time to make these investments has never been more urgent."

Also Read: Democrats Push Billions for Distance Learning

The current COVID-19 relief bill being hammered out in Congress includes more than $7 billion in funds for broadband access and devices, including connectivity for HBCUs and their "anchor communities," defined as within a 15-mile radius.

It also creates an Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the White House's chief telecom policy arm, the mission of which is to "develop recommendations to promote the rapid, expanded deployment of broadband internet access.

Commissioner Geoffrey Starks is convening his second HBCU President's Roundtable Feb. 18, this one a virtual event via Webex.

The goal is to make sure that the students, faculty and staff of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as the communities they serve, have access to affordable high-speed broadband during the pandemic.

Also Read: Dems Push Billions for Distance Learning

The current COVID-19 relief bill being hammered out in Congress includes more than $7 billion in funds for broadband access and devices, including connecting for HBCU's and their "anchor communities," defined as within a 15-mile radius.

It also creates an Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the White House's chief telecom policy arm, the mission of which is to "develop recommendations to promote the rapid, expanded deployment of broadband internet access

service to unserved historically Black colleges or universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, Minority-serving institutions, and anchor communities," and their "students, faculty, and staff."

Also Read: COVID-19 Aid Bill Includes Billions for Broadband

Starks' roundtable will feature representatives of Delaware State University, Howard University, Morehouse College, and Tennessee State University and will be moderated by Dr. Dominique Harrison, director of technology policy at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. 

Aspire is partnering with the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to increase awareness of the value and the legacy of HBCUs, the network announced.

The partnership will look to expose HBCU college students to entrepreneurs and professionals in corporate and private businesses to help guarantee the future success of African-American students, our communities and our nation. The strategic collaboration is a part of Aspire initiative to promote excellence in education among African-American students at HBCUs and to provide those students with professional development and support. 

Aspire will also support the WHIHBCU via on-air, online and social media by producing and broadcasting a series of custom vignettes showcasing the HBCU Week Conference running Sept. 22-23, said the network. In addition, the network will develop "I Aspire” profiles featuring students from the inaugural WHIHBCU All-Stars class. 

“Aspire is extremely proud to expand its commitment to improve educational opportunities for African- American youth at HBCUs by partnering with the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” said Paul Butler, general manager, Aspire in a statement.  “We recognize that HBCUs are an important part of our culture and safeguarding their legacy, along with enhancing educational, professional and entrepreneurial opportunities for the next generation of leaders, is critical to our nation’s future.”

An online video service targeting the 105 historically black colleges and universities, overseen by former BET executive Curtis Symonds, is set to launch today (Sept. 15) with hopes of eventually becoming a linear cable channel.

After several starts and stops, the ad-supported website at HBCUX.com will launch with 10 individual channels — five for free and five sold for a collective $3.99 per month — featuring sports, entertainment and original programming by and for HBCU schools, HBCUX president Symonds said.

HBCUX unofficially launched this past Saturday with an exclusive telecast of the first annual Bahamas HBCUX Classic football game between Central State and Texas Southern.

It targets current and former HBCU students — and hopes to draw a wider multicultural audience curious about HBCU schools.

“The whole premise of the channel is to educate people on what historically black colleges are all about,” Symonds said. “People don’t understand the history, legacies and stories of these universities, and until you really hear and see it, you don’t have a great appreciation for it.”

Among the five free channels offered by HBCUX, according to Symonds, will be one dedicated to HBCU sports programming, simulcasting HBCU games streamed by ESPN3; a radio channel with content from as many as 60 HBCU radio stations; and a channel featuring blogs from various HBCU student writers.

The premium channels, which cost a combined $3.99 a month, will feature the network’s own live-game telecasts of HBCU sports programming; a channel featuring original content from both the network and HBCU schools; a channel which will focus on students doing great things within their schools and communities; and channels for pay-per-view programming and original movies.

Symonds said he sees network as eventually moving from its online roots to become a full-fledged linear cable channel at some point.

“The long-term goal is to build this into a linear network, but first we have to create a demand for the channel,” he said. “Our target audience is on their computers, iPhones and tablets, so if I can push the demand through digital then it should eventually fold into a demand for a linear product.”