It may have ended 2018 with a flourish but youth-oriented multi-cultural cross-platform entertainment media brand Fuse Media has made a challenging start to the new year after being dropped by US networks Comcast and Verizon.
Despite showing, said Fuse, the ability to continue carriage of the network at highly-competitive rates, the Verizon FiOS IPTV network dropped the Fuse channel on 31 December 2018 while cable giant Comcast did likewise at the same point after more than a decade of carriage.
Fuse, part-owned by singer Jennifer Lopez, claims that it is currently one of the few networks experiencing viewership growth and states that from 2015 through to the end of the third quarter of 2018, its ratings had risen more than 50% in the P18-34 age group while overall ad-supported cable has declined 34% in the demo during the same timeframe. In addition. Q3, Fuse said that in Q34 2018 it delivered a 74% multi-cultural audience competition, ranking it fifth among English-language ad-supported entertainment cable networks. At the beginning of December 2018, Fuse Media entered the scripted animation genre by greenlighting Sugar and Toys.
With that in mind, Fuse slammed Verizon FiOS as making a final carriage deal offer that in its opinion was unacceptable. It regards the impact of the IPTV provider’s decision as likely to be a low single-digit reduction of Fuse’s distribution versus 2018 levels. It added that Comcast’s behaviour leading to its decision to drop Fuse revealed an agenda inconsistent with its public statements, giving further credence to the merit of on-going DOJ oversight.
“This is another instance of one of our nation’s largest telecommunications companies taking action inconsistent with its public posture regarding diversity. While claiming to be committed to supporting customers from underserved communities, Verizon FiOS is removing unique content programmed to the passions and values of the large and growing multi-cultural millennial audience,” commented Fuse Media president and CEO Michael Schwimmer.
“[Comcast’s] decision is both surprising and troubling considering that Fuse met Comcast's financial demands and no other requirements were ever communicated to us. A commitment to diversity is an enduring value, not a politically expedient card for Comcast to play until such time as consent decrees or business objectives no longer require it. We have been dedicated from the very beginning to providing opportunities for diverse creative talent to entertain and inform diverse communities. By removing our network from its consumer offering, Comcast is silencing yet another independent media company, in this case one that is devoted to providing a platform for inclusive voices and authentic representation at a uniquely important time in our society.”
Fuse, part-owned by singer Jennifer Lopez, claims that it is currently one of the few networks experiencing viewership growth and states that from 2015 through to the end of the third quarter of 2018, its ratings had risen more than 50% in the P18-34 age group while overall ad-supported cable has declined 34% in the demo during the same timeframe. In addition. Q3, Fuse said that in Q34 2018 it delivered a 74% multi-cultural audience competition, ranking it fifth among English-language ad-supported entertainment cable networks. At the beginning of December 2018, Fuse Media entered the scripted animation genre by greenlighting Sugar and Toys.
With that in mind, Fuse slammed Verizon FiOS as making a final carriage deal offer that in its opinion was unacceptable. It regards the impact of the IPTV provider’s decision as likely to be a low single-digit reduction of Fuse’s distribution versus 2018 levels. It added that Comcast’s behaviour leading to its decision to drop Fuse revealed an agenda inconsistent with its public statements, giving further credence to the merit of on-going DOJ oversight.
“This is another instance of one of our nation’s largest telecommunications companies taking action inconsistent with its public posture regarding diversity. While claiming to be committed to supporting customers from underserved communities, Verizon FiOS is removing unique content programmed to the passions and values of the large and growing multi-cultural millennial audience,” commented Fuse Media president and CEO Michael Schwimmer.
“[Comcast’s] decision is both surprising and troubling considering that Fuse met Comcast's financial demands and no other requirements were ever communicated to us. A commitment to diversity is an enduring value, not a politically expedient card for Comcast to play until such time as consent decrees or business objectives no longer require it. We have been dedicated from the very beginning to providing opportunities for diverse creative talent to entertain and inform diverse communities. By removing our network from its consumer offering, Comcast is silencing yet another independent media company, in this case one that is devoted to providing a platform for inclusive voices and authentic representation at a uniquely important time in our society.”
