Revry, the LGBTQ+ streaming services said that credit card company Discovery has signed up to sponsor the 8th annual QueerX Awards telecast.

The awards show will  premiere on Revry October 11, which is National Coming Out Day.

“Discover believes everyone should feel like they belong and enjoy the freedom to be themselves,” said Darci Cavanaugh, Director of Compliance Operations and the Enterprise Lead for Pride, Discover’s employee resource group for LGBTQ+ employees and allies. “Discover is proud to support Revry and the QueerX awards. We celebrate diverse experiences and perspectives, which make us stronger and better able to help our employees, customers and communities achieve brighter financial futures.”

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The QueerX Awards will be hosted by Percy Rustomji, the known for his role as the host of Revry’s Culture Q, and Daniel Franzese, who appeared in Mean Girls and HBO’s Looking. 

The event will also feature special appearances Carmen Carrera, The Queen of Melrose (Cosmo Lombino), Jake Dupree, Love Bailey, Marval Rex, and Biqtch Puddin’. 

Award categories include Best Queer Dancer of the Year, Best Queer DJ, Best Athlete, Queer Comedian, Best Fashion Brand, Queer Twitch Streamer, Biggest Social Media Presence, Queer Anthem of the Year, Best Drag Artist, Best Podcast, and the QueerX Visibility Awards.

“As we prepare for the 8th annual QueerX Awards, we remain focused on celebrating the creativity, diversity, and joy that define our community. This event is more than just recognition; it’s about amplifying stories that push boundaries and inspire future generations,” said Damian Pelliccione, co-founder and CEO of Revry.

Revry said the 2023 QueerX Awards reached nearly one million U.S. households and ranked among Revry’s top-performing programs in October,

The 2024 QueerX Awards will be streamed globally and exclusively on Revry, which is available on platforms including Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Vizio WatchFree Plus, Plex, Rakuten TV and Xumo.

Revry, a network celebrating queer culture. said its second annual NewFront presentation will be a cabaret-type spectacle showcasing the spirit of the LGBTQ+ community and brands can reach its members.

The presentation will be headlined by Carmen Carrera, host of Revry’s Drag Latino; vogue maestro Dashaun Wesley, co-host of Rery’s Pride Ball; and Murray Hill, the legendary drag king and actor. 

Revry will highling programming including its first drag king competition series King of Drag. It will also have a new installment of Pride Ball and Season 3 of Drag Latino.

Revry will also talk about its PrismRiot advertising network, which enables brands to engage with premium LGBTQ+ audiences through programmatic technology.

PrismRiot filters and makes 250M LGBTQ+-aligned CTV impressions available, streaming the process of connecting with the queer community.

“Revry’s presence at the 2024 IAB NewFronts is a vibrant celebration of queer culture and its impactful role in shaping the media landscape,” Damian Pellicione, co-founder and CEO of Revry, said. “Our cabaret-themed presentation will be immersive, highlighting how brands can connect with LGBTQ+ audiences. As a diverse-owned and targeting media company, we are proud to be the vanguards in this space.”

Revry and Latino Alternative Television (LATV) said that season two of Drag Latina is coming back, with the premiere presented by CaraVe and Verizon Communications.

Drag Latina is co-produced by Revry and LATV and the season-two premiere will have its debut on Revry November 26 and on LATV November 28.

“We believe that the art of drag is most effective when it highlights the intersectionality of the artist: dancer, illusionist, singer, actor, model, comedian,” says Revry’s Latine co-founder and chief content officer, Christopher Jon Rodriguez. “Drag Latina goes a step further by creating a space to showcase the rich cultural backgrounds of the performers as well. The bilingual nature of Season Two really makes this season stand out as something refreshingly inclusive!”

The six-episode competition series has new hosts in Carmen Carrera and Fedro. Celebrity guest judges include makeup artist Lushious Massacr, Enrique Sapene of Canela TV’s Secretos de Villanas and original Queer Eye host Jai Rodriguez.

“We place such a high value on the authentic expression of diverse communities here at LATV, that’s why collaborating with Drag Latina is so perfect,” Andres Palencia, CEO of Latino Alternative Television, said. “The return of season two of Drag Latina is a reminder that queer joy and inclusion are great for society and business.”

Presented in a mix of English and Spanish, Drag Latina had more than 1 million people tuned in as Vicky Chavarria was named the winner of season one. The series was the subject of viewing parties in Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, New York, Dallas and Puerto Rico.

“[Diversity, equity and inclusion] is a very important part of our commitment to providing therapeutic skincare for all,” Jasteena Gill, VP of marketing at CeraVe, said.  “CeraVe is proud to be partnering with Revry on Drag Latina season two and supporting their mission in highlighting the diverse Latine drag community.”

A group of streamers not affiliated with the biggest media companies have formed the Independent Streaming Alliance, which will engage with platforms and consumers.

Founding members of the ISA include Allen Media Group, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Cineverse, Future Today , kweliTV, Revry, E.W. Scripps, Tastemade, TMB and Vevo.

The alliance will also highlight minority-owned businesses and advocate for diverse programming and a more equitable playing field across the industry.

“The formation of the ISA is long overdue,” Philippe Guelton, chief revenue officer at Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, said. “We are joining forces to promote the value of independent streamers, and to work hand-in-hand with platforms, advertisers and regulatory bodies to ensure that we have a healthy ecosystem that benefits everyone, not just the few.”

The ISA has formed working groups focused on key business areas of measurement, distribution and advertising demand.

The ISA has selected iSpot.TV and its audience and ad measurement provider to quantify the unique reach of the alliance’s members. The group will also push to use iSpot as a possible currency for advertising sales.

The distribution group will work with platforms on growing the availability of audiences of independent streamers and the demand group will work with SSPs, DSPs, brands and agencies to ensure members’ ad inventory can be accessed by buyers directly or via programmatic technology.

“The ISA is an opportunity to level up our ecosystem by defining standards and best practices that will benefit consumers, advertisers, and programmers alike,” said Evan Bregman, General Manager, Streaming at Tastemade. “Tastemade is proud to be on the leading edge of building a sustainable streaming industry.”

Revry, the streaming service aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, showed of a slate of new programming at its NewFronts presentation on Wednesday.

“We’re honored to be the first LGBTQ+ media company to present at the NewFronts and showcase the incredible brand-safe programming we have to offer,” said co-founder Damian Pelliccione. “It took over 15 years for a company like ours to connect with advertisers who share our diverse values and want to reach this valuable audience.”

New Revry shows include:

• Culture Q: A weekly pop-culture news show described as “part Good Morning America, part E! News.”
• QueerX Awards: Revry calls this the premier queer pop-culture awards show, featuring such awards categories as Best Queer Anthem and Queer Cultural Moment of the Year. Big Freedia, Ninel Conde, Drag Queen and Kim Petras are scheduled to appear.
• Pride Ball: Revry will host the definitive live vogue ballroom dance competition. Houses will be pitted against one another in a queer spectator sports spectacle. Featuring Dashaun Wesley of the House of Ebony, hundreds of fierce competitors, iconic judges, and live performances to stun the crowd, the event will also be livestreamed on social media and across Revry Networks. 
• King of Drag: The show takes the concept of the drag competition TV show and turns it on its head by exclusively featuring Drag King performers. 

Revry last month announced the launch of PrismRiot, a multi-minority certified LGBTQ+ advertising network, with a reach of over 110 million U.S. households across connected TV and mobile platforms. PrismRiot gives brand access to the LGBTQ+ community, which has significant purchasing power, Revry said.

McDonald’s has returned as the sponsor of LGBTQ+-first streaming media network Revry’s House of Pride virtual event.

The burger chain is also backing Music Out Loud, Revry’s series celebrating LGBTQ+ music.

“McDonald’s fans loved celebrating with House of Pride last year so we’re very excited to bring it back,” said Elizabeth Campbell, senior director of cultural engagement marketing, McDonald’s USA. “We’ve been working to partner with more diverse owned media, and a big part of that is our expanded partnership with Revry to create fun and meaningful events that bring together the LGBTQ+ community.”

As part of its sponsorship, McDonald’s will get featured hero unit placements on Revry’s biggest channel partner platforms including Samsung TV, editorial takeovers across Revry apps and social media and an in-app hero unit offering McDonald’s products. McDonald’s will also have exposure in tune in video ads on social platforms, a 15-second tune-in trailer running across Revry networks and third-party editorial takeovers promoting Hose of Pride.

Segments and stories featuring McDonald’s will appear in Revry shows, online content and newsletters.

House of Pride Brought to You By McDonald’s USA is set to premiere June 5 on Revry. It will be hosted by Rani KoHEnur from Queen of the Universe and radio host and DJ Hannah Rad. Comedians Kia Barnes, Sampson McCormick and Isla Ebony, and musicians Frankie Simone, Keiynan Lonsdale, Madison Rose, Julian King and Mila Jam will perform.

Music Out Loud launches June 13 with a lineup of queer musicians and artists including Angelica Ross and Cassidy King.

“House of Pride streamed 600K times in its first year and this June, we are expecting millions to tune-in,” said Damian Pelliccione, CEO and co-founder of Revry. “With the support of McDonald’s, we are able to include so many of the LGBTQ voices in Pride programming that are representative and inclusive of our diverse community.”

Revry is available on Samsung TV, the Roku Channel, Vizio WatchFree, Rakuten TV, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Comcast Xfinity and Xumo. ■

Philo said it is adding Crackle, Bloomberg TV and Revry to its low-priced, entertainment-focused streaming platform.

“Philo offers affordable TV content to their fast growing audience and we are thrilled to give them full access to Crackle’s library of Hollywood blockbusters and classic TV shows, as well as a growing collection of original and exclusive content not available on any other platforms, such as Going From Broke, which will launch a second season on May 20th,” said Philippe Guelton, president of Crackle Plus, a division of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.

Revry is a global streaming network focused on the LGBTQ community.

"Revry is thrilled to bring Queer to Philo with a curated selection of movies, shows, and news from the newest voices within the LGBTQ+ community,” said Damian Pelliccione, CEO/co-founder. “Revry inspires exploration of creators that authentically represent queer culture for all audiences.”

Philo offers subscribers more than 60 channels including A&E, AMC, Comedy Central, Food Network and TV One. T-Mobile, which folded its own TV service, is offering its subscribers Philo for $10 per month, half the normal rate.

“The addition of new content from Crackle, as well as Bloomberg TV and Revry, further highlights Philo’s commitment to provide our customers with the best TV viewing experience at a great value,” said Mike Keyserling, COO and head of content Acquisition at Philo. “We’re glad to be able to add these incredible channels to our robust line-up of programming for Philo viewers.”

Free Queer TV streaming service, Revry, is partnering with Lexus and Q.Digital for the first ever broadcast of the Queerties, annual awards given out by entertainment site Queerty (owned by Q.Digital) saluting LGBTQ culture and entertainment.

The awards stream live Feb. 24 at 9 p.m. EST on Revry, which is available on The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Comcast Xfinity X1, Dell, XUMO TV, Zapping TV, STIRR, and TiVo+. The awards will also be available on Samsung TV, Apple TV and Facebook and Queerty's home page and Facebook and YouTube pages.

Free on-demand rebroadcasts will also be available.

The awards will be hosted by RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 Miss Congeniality Heidi N. Closet and Queerty editor-in-chief Dan Tracer.

Angelica Ross (Pose, American Horror Story) is receiving the Groundbreaker Award and Billy Eichner (The Lion King, American Horror Story) is getting the NVP Award.

According to Revry, almost 1.5 million votes were case in 23 award categories including Closet Door Bustdown, Favorite Podcast, Favorite Instagram and TikTok Follows.

Flash back to the not so distant past when not a single app or video came up following an internet search on LGBTQ and a light bulb idea came up for Damian Pelliccione. He wanted to create a streaming network featuring queer content and championing diversity and inclusion in media and the entertainment. 

Founded in 2016 by Pelliccione, Alia J. Daniels, Christopher Rodriguez, Wadooah Wali and LaShawn McGhee, this mixture behind the scenes at Revry (Revry.tv), according to Pelliccione, is “50 percent women of color, 75 percent people of color, and 75 percent LGBTQ.” 

“We are also immigrant, army veteran, people of color, Latinx, African American female and LBTQ founded,” he noted. “And we have a mission, a purpose and a belief that representation in media can and does save lives. Representation starts from leadership, and that’s why we formed the company and the structure the way it is.”

The Revry.tv website features a curated selection of TV series, films, podcasts, news, music, and videos under a free (with commercials) or paid subscription model. It also offers original content including the series Before I Got Famous, America in Transition, BIFL and Barbelle. And the content is available online and via services including iOS, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Roku, and TiVo. 

We spoke to Pelliccione, who will be among the panelists on "The Niche Effect" during the Streaming TV Summit on Oct. 1, about Revry today, what the future holds, and how the platform works to spark positive and necessary change in the ongoing quest for diversity in media.

Fall TV 2020: Comscore CEO Bill Livek on Impressions-Based Future

The Streaming TV Summit, which runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, is part of Future plc's virtual Fall TV 2020 event.

Q: What are you looking forward to most out of this conversation? Where are you expecting the conversation to go, and what would you hope audiences will glean from it? 

Damian Pelliccione: We define ourselves as not just a media company, but as an impact-driven startup. We help shape culture and help shape change, specifically social change in the world. Our product does something for a group of people that is either under-represented, under-heard, or does not have a place at the “table.” Yet, the available data points to a segment that is extremely valuable. The disposable income of the LGBTQ community in the United States is over $965 billion a year and $5 trillion globally. That is not a small market, and there is no TV network or streaming service that is fully targeting those dollars, nor anyone who is working with advertisers, specifically on the video level that we do. Our mission is to spark change and capitalize on the value we bring.

Q: Is your model mainly subscription based like some of the primary streamers (Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, for example)?

D.P.: I don’t think subscription is the future. I think we are in a period of subscription fatigue and we are seeing these majors cannibalizing each other trying to fight for that subscription dollar. Unless you have a very convincing value proposition as to why I am going to subscribe, I don’t believe that content should be behind a paywall. We started as a subscription model, but we have a “tribrid” approach: live free television, free ad-supported TV, and fast channels first in many different environments in as many different formats as we can garner. Then we have AVOD and we offer [a] subscription, which is for the person who wants to support the community in an underserved market and wants to have access to all the content all of the time commercial free.

At the end of the day, we now control the largest amount of video ad inventory for the LGBTQ segment in the world. We sell it direct, we sell it programmatically, and we even give it away to MGOs because we created this platform to impact change in our community and shape Queer culture. We understand that television is still driven by advertising and consumer purchasing. It is not subscription.

Q: How do you find your niche in the marketplace opposite these major streaming services?

D.P: I believe that authenticity drives innovation and it also drives marketplaces. We describe ourselves as “#radically inclusive and #unapologetically queer.” We are not the first at doing this, but we think we are the best at doing this, and that is what sets us apart. We all have personal insights into this community.

Q: How do you come up with the content for Revry?

D.P.: We are a startup, so we license a lot of the content of course. But we scoured everywhere: YouTube, film festivals, relationships and referrals, markets, distributors, studios…you name it. We are getting content from a multitude of sources. And we are increasing our original production.

When we did our research and we looked at the LGBTQ libraries in the mainstream, such as Amazon, Hulu and Netflix, we found the same titles…Brokeback Mountain, Boys Don’t Cry, The Golden Girls, etc. The things that are the obvious legacy titles are what we try to shy away from, which we think really creates a different value proposition for the consumer to want to engage with our apps and our channel. 

Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your business model?

D.P.: I am sure you are hearing across the board how COVID has accelerated usage, subscription and otherwise, but more on the free side. Anyone who is in the business of entertainment post-COVID is thriving, at least in terms of increased audience interest. Historically, the first thing people stop spending on during any crisis is going out for entertainment so they spend more time at home in front of their television. I am not happy about the pandemic and the impact it has had on the world; none of us are. But I do find it ironic that the thesis of streaming and all the traditional models are benefiting from it.

Q: Can you talk about what initiatives lie ahead?

D.P.: We are coming up [with] five new channels before the end of the year, all different interests or genre based that are within our community. Here we are shaping not just a single channel like Logo is, but proving the viability [of] why there might be a marketplace for maybe a LGBTQ news network or music network, or so many other things.

I think the next big phase of our business is going to happen in the next couple of years where you will see us pushing more original content, co-productions with other digital studios and networks. Five years later and we have really only just begun.

The digital platform is full of opportunities for new and upstart streaming services, but executives speaking Tuesday at NYC Television Week’s Streaming TV event say providing quality, targeted and authentic content to viewers across multiple platforms are key to surviving a competitive landscape.

Executives speaking at “The Upstarts” morning panel said that the digital streaming platform allows opportunities for distribution -- whether it's direct to consumer or through services like Pluto TV which offers live and SVOD content -- that are not available in the traditional linear television space.

Other services like The Preview Channel -- which offers movie and video game trailers -- have succeeded in gaining distribution through Smart TV developers like XUMO and Samsung, according to Preview Channel CEO William Sager. Executives say the key it to be available on as many platforms as possible to reach the widest audience.

“You actually have to be everywhere; it’s all about ubiquity,” said Gregor Angus, founder and CEO of True Royalty TV, which offers British-themed content. “Your audience has to be able to watch you wherever and whenever.”

Damian Pelliccione, CEO of LGBTQ-targeted service Revry, added that offering unique content that’s not available elsewhere helps new services break out from the clutter.

“In the U.S. alone the LGBT community spends over $913 billion in disposable income,” he said. “In addition, 20% of millennials, which is the largest consumer purchasing power in the world, identifies as LGBTQ, and 35% of Gen Z identifies LGBQT. That’s where we see the opportunity as those kids buy homes and cars … we will scale up with them by offering more content to them.”

News-themed service Newsy, which has a footing on both linear and streaming platforms, has been able to secure advertising partners due to its ability to target news junkies on multiple platforms, according to Newsy director of ad sales Ryan Forbell.

“It’s been beneficial to our partners from a sales perspective because we’re able to deliver two very uniquely different audiences,” Forbell said. “Digital offers a much younger audience; the linear space tends to deliver a much older audience.”

In order to survive in an increasingly crowded environment, however, it's important to connect to your target audience in an authentic way and to have the community of viewers that you’re targeting buy into the service’s concept, according to BroadwayHD founder and three-time Tony Award-winning producer Bonnie Comley.

“We are recognized by the Broadway industry as an additive to the business,” she said. “They see BroadwayHD as a streaming platform that was built by people within the industry with input from the industry.”

Added Revry’s Pelliccione: “Building brands today, especially for younger people, have to have social impact -- if they don’t I don’t know why you’re doing it and you probably won’t exist in five to 10 years,” he said. “We have a mission to bring totally authentic representation for the [LGBQT] community to the rest of the globe. There needs to be a cause, a mission and a culture that you brand yourself with.”