Comcast Expands Carriage for Sean Combs’ Revolt Cable Network
Comcast has agreed to expand availability of Revolt, the hip-hop focused cable network backed by entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Under the new pact, Revolt on September 29 will be available in high-definition to Comcast’sXfinity Digital Starter package in Philadelphia, Northern New Jersey, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Charleston, and Augusta. Additionally, in markets where Revolt has been available in standard definition as part of the Xfinity Digital Premier package, the network will be moved to Digital Starter in HD, beginning September 29.
“Revolt exists to tell our stories and empower our community,” said Combs, chairman of Revolt Media & TV, in a statement. “As one of very few Black-owned media platforms, it is important that we can reach our audiences wherever they are. We are excited to continue to grow with Comcast and deliver our content to millions of additional homes.”
Under terms of the new pact, the companies will collaborate to create cultural content. One new program, “Black Voices on Mute,” will feature original content that illuminates the importance of voting and the history of voter suppression in the Black community. This short form content will amplify narratives around social justice, empowerment, and voter turnout leading up to the November 3rd national election. This original content will also be featured in a curated content collection on Xfinity X1, Stream and Flex featuring a wide variety of movies, documentaries, TV series and more.
“There is no better time than now to amplify Black stories and content, and we are excited to bring new programming from Revolt to our platform and recently launched content collection, Black Voices. Black Stories,” said Keesha Boyd, executive director of multicultural video & entertainment, Xfinity Consumer Services, in a statement.
Revolt TV was birthed in 2013 as a part of Comcast’s 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal. The deal was approved by federal regulators with the condition that the cable giant offer valuable real estate on its cable systems to 10 new independently owned cable channels. Revolt was one of them,
“Comcast was one of the first television distributors to carry REVOLT to millions of its customers when it launched in 2013, and we are very pleased to bring its creative music- and social justice-focused content to even more Xfinity TV customers across the country,” said Dana Strong, president, Xfinity Consumer Services, in a statement.
Revolt has in recent months placed new emphasis on coverage of social justice issues. Revolt recently aired a live town hall, “State of Emergency,” hosted by Combs, with notable guests exposing the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has had on Black communities. And it launched “REVOLT Black News,” a weekly news show hosted by Eboni K. Williams that presents an unfiltered conversation about current events with the leaders of Black culture, including artists, activists, politicians, experts, and more.
Revolt will air its second “State of Emergency” virtual town hall on Thursday, September 24th at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT with confirmed guests Dr. Cornel West, Kerry Washington, Tamika Mallory, Jeff Johnson, Cordae, Vic Mensa and others.
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