Bounce TV
Encyclopedia
Bounce TV is a United States
television network
airing on digital terrestrial television stations
. Promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created exclusively for African Americans
," Bounce TV launched on September 26, 2011 and features programming geared toward blacks in the 25-54 age range.
-owned cable network BET
. Bounce's programming includes content gained via acquisition and licensing agreements with such sources as NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Television
, Codeblack Entertainment
, and Image Entertainment
. Early on, Bounce will concentrate on a programming mix of movies and reruns of TV series (including Soul Train
, Judge Hatchett
and Backstage Pass
). Original content on Bounce includes broadcasts of football
and basketball
games from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
(a league that includes several historically black colleges and universities
) that are produced by Urban Sports Entertainment Group (the first such broadcast being a Bowie State
/Virginia Union
football game on September 28, 2011); future original programming plans will include documentaries, specials, and inspirational programming.
s. The founding group and initial ownership team includes former Atlanta mayor and United Nations Ambassador
Andrew Young
, Martin Luther King III
, and Andrew "Bo" Young III; the group also includes Rob Hardy
and Will Packer, the co-founders of Rainforest Films
, a top African-American production company. Bounce TV is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Bounce TV began broadcasts on September 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm Eastern/11:00 am Central with a showing of the 1978 musical film, The Wiz
, which starred Diana Ross
and Michael Jackson
. Other first-day programming included showings of the movies A Raisin in the Sun
and Do the Right Thing
.
Before its launch, Bounce TV lined up national distribution through digital subchannels
of television stations
throughout the United States
. The network launched with clearance rate of, at minimum, 32% of overall U.S. television households, thanks in part to carriage agreements with Raycom Media
, LIN TV Corporation, and Nexstar Broadcasting Group
. In November 2011, Bounce TV would reach a significant deal with Fox Television Stations Group
, who will give the network subchannel clearance on its MyNetworkTV
stations in New York
and Los Angeles and perhaps other stations in the Fox stable. The Fox deal (that company's first multicasting arrangement) will put Bounce TV over its earlier stated goal of reaching at least 50% of overall U.S. television households.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
airing on digital terrestrial television stations
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
. Promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created exclusively for African Americans
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
," Bounce TV launched on September 26, 2011 and features programming geared toward blacks in the 25-54 age range.
Programming
Bounce TV (its name signifies a network that is "going somewhere with energy") features programming geared toward an African American audience older than the age group primarily targeted by the ViacomViacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
-owned cable network BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
. Bounce's programming includes content gained via acquisition and licensing agreements with such sources as NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
, Codeblack Entertainment
CodeBlack Entertainment
Codeblack Entertainment is an American entertainment conglomerate founded and run by an African-American entrepreneur, Jeff Clanagan.Codeblack Entertainment is the first independent, vertically integrated African-American-owned film studio, actively engaged in the business of feature film...
, and Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
. Early on, Bounce will concentrate on a programming mix of movies and reruns of TV series (including Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
, Judge Hatchett
Judge Hatchett
Judge Hatchett is a nationally-syndicated American television program produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. It starred The Honorable Glenda Hatchett and was modeled after other "court shows" such as Judge Judy and the long running The People's Court, as well as containing elements...
and Backstage Pass
Backstage pass
A backstage pass is an employee pass which allows its bearer access to employees-only areas at a performance venue. They are most commonly associated with rock music groups....
). Original content on Bounce includes broadcasts of football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is a college athletic conference, mostly consisting of historically black colleges and universities. Recent addition Chowan University is the first non-HBCU to play in the conference. Conference teams participate in the NCAA's Division II...
(a league that includes several historically black colleges and universities
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
) that are produced by Urban Sports Entertainment Group (the first such broadcast being a Bowie State
Bowie State University
Bowie State University , is a public university located on 355½ acres in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, north of the suburban city of Bowie. Bowie State is part of the University System of Maryland...
/Virginia Union
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
football game on September 28, 2011); future original programming plans will include documentaries, specials, and inspirational programming.
Operations
Bounce TV was founded on April 4, 2011 and is majority owned-and-operated by African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. The founding group and initial ownership team includes former Atlanta mayor and United Nations Ambassador
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is more formally known as the "Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador...
Andrew Young
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
, Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
, and Andrew "Bo" Young III; the group also includes Rob Hardy
Rob Hardy
Rob Hardy is a film producer, writer, television and film director. His films include The Gospel, Trois, and Trois 2: Pandora's Box. He wrote his first film, Chocolate City while a student at Florida A&M University. His television credits include ER, Criminal Minds, The Vampire Diaries and...
and Will Packer, the co-founders of Rainforest Films
Rainforest Films
Rainforest Films is a film production company founded in 1994 by William Packer and Rob Hardy, that produces African-American films. Most of Rainforest's films are distributed by Screen Gems.-List of notable Rainforest films:*The Gospel*Trois...
, a top African-American production company. Bounce TV is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Bounce TV began broadcasts on September 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm Eastern/11:00 am Central with a showing of the 1978 musical film, The Wiz
The Wiz (film)
The Wiz is a 1978 musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical...
, which starred Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. Other first-day programming included showings of the movies A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun (film)
A Raisin in the Sun is a 1961 drama film starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands, Roy Glenn, and Louis Gossett. The adaptation was based on the play by Lorraine Hansberry....
and Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...
.
Key Executives
- Andrew YoungAndrew YoungAndrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
, co-founder - Martin Luther King IIIMartin Luther King IIIMartin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
, co-founder - Ryan Glover, executive vice-president
- Jonathan Katz, executive vice-president
- Rob HardyRob HardyRob Hardy is a film producer, writer, television and film director. His films include The Gospel, Trois, and Trois 2: Pandora's Box. He wrote his first film, Chocolate City while a student at Florida A&M University. His television credits include ER, Criminal Minds, The Vampire Diaries and...
, chief content officer - Will Packer, chief strategy and marketing officer
Affiliates
Main Article: List of Bounce TV affiliatesBefore its launch, Bounce TV lined up national distribution through digital subchannels
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
of television stations
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The network launched with clearance rate of, at minimum, 32% of overall U.S. television households, thanks in part to carriage agreements with Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
, LIN TV Corporation, and Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., is an entity of broadcast television stations headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company consists of 50 television stations across the U.S., ranging from market sizes 9 to 201 . 43 of the stations are broadcasting at full power, with the other 4 broadcasting at...
. In November 2011, Bounce TV would reach a significant deal with Fox Television Stations Group
Fox Television Stations Group
Fox Television Stations, Inc. is a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of News Corporation...
, who will give the network subchannel clearance on its MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
stations in New York
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
and Los Angeles and perhaps other stations in the Fox stable. The Fox deal (that company's first multicasting arrangement) will put Bounce TV over its earlier stated goal of reaching at least 50% of overall U.S. television households.