All results
New changes are underway at LeBron James’ media company. Bloomberg previously reported that the SpringHill Co., owned by James and Maverick Carter, had been in talks for several months with Fulwell 73, a British television, music, and film company known for “The Kardashians” and “Carpool Karaoke .” Sources close to the discussions mentioned plans for unscripted and live programming, with both parties aiming to leverage their resources across Europe and the United States. Now, it has been confirmed that the two companies will merge, however without any money being exchanged. The merger will instead be supported by a $40 million investment toward future growth from entities such as Fenway Sports Group, RedBird Capital Partners, UC Investments, Nike, Epic Games, Main Street Advisors, and Eldridge Industries, according to Variety. “We didn’t want to stand still and ultimately just be a production company where more and more you are in the services business. We’re producers for hire,”...
Whoopi Goldberg is launching a sports platform for women. During a taping of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” she announced the launch of All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN), which has already broken ground in Asia, the Middle East, and India with the help of partners CommonSpirit and Jungo TV. “It’ll be the home for live women’s sports from around the world. Everything from soccer, basketball, tennis, cricket, curling — you name it. If a woman is playing it, we’re showing it,” Goldberg said on the show. Goldberg’s motivation for the network was planted when she was a child. She recalls a time when her brother would play a variety of sports, but she was often left out due to her gender, mentions Yahoo Sports. Throughout her career, she recalls engaging in conversations about how to move the needle in women’s sports. “Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to play sports. My brother could play … he played everything,” she explained. “So, for years, I’ve been talking to...
Snoop Dogg is a marketing machine. The rapper, who is also a serial entrepreneur and the owner and CEO of Death Row Records, kept himself busy over the summer as the torchbearer and NBC Special Correspondent during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Snoop Dogg’s screen time included travel with the U.S. men’s basketball team, which concluded with a segment about the team’s synergy in conversation with sports commentator Mike Tirico. He also shared some viral moments, including a swim lesson with 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps and his attendance at the gymnastics qualifying round, which sparked a dance moment with Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles. Speaking of his appointment he told The Associated Press, “This opportunity was nothing but a chance for me to show the world what it’s supposed to look like when you put the right person in the right environment.” It appears NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics has led to a significant boost for its parent company,...
Issa Rae transformed her online presence from an “awkward Black girl” to a media mogul with several hit series. Now, she’s channeling her success into empowering the next generation of creators, helping them forge their own paths in the industry. As shared in a press release, the award-winning actress, writer, and producer’s management firm, ColorCreative, which promotes women and minority talent, has partnered with Tubi to launch Stubios. The program will help five creative teams develop debut projects that will premiere on the streaming platform. ColorCreative will provide mentorship, while Tubi will fund the productions, according to TubeFilter. “I am deeply passionate about creating pathways to sustainable careers into Hollywood for creatives of diverse backgrounds,” Issa Rae previously said in a statement. “We at ColorCreative are thrilled to see Tubi taking this important and bold step, and we’re excited to support and guide Stubios creatives on their first long-form...
Stephen A. Smith knows his worth. The ESPN sports journalist and host of “First Take” is currently signed to an annual $12 million deal with the network that will be intact until June 2025. As previously shared by AFROTECH™, his salary includes an $8 million yearly salary and a $4-million-per-year production contract. Furthermore, with talks of renegotiations on the table, it has been rumored that Smith is seeking a $100 million contract to remain with the network for an additional five years. Recently, he addressed those rumors during a taping of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” on Max. He was asked by Wallace, “Your ESPN contract is, what we’re told, up next year and the word on the street is, you want something in the range of $100 million for five years. True?” While Smith did not confirm whether there was any truth behind these numbers, he did confirm he is looking to be paid his worth. “I’m not getting specific as it pertains to numbers, because only a fool discusses his own...
Created with good intention, Detroit, MI-based Sports Rap Radio has been shut down. As Blavity previously reported, it was the first all-Black-led sports radio station based in the United States. It was brought to life with the help of former Detroit sports anchor Rob Parker and his peers including former NBA player B.J. Armstrong and former college stars Dave Kenney and Maurice “Moe” Ways. “[This is] history-making,” Parker told CBS News at the time. “[It’s] groundbreaking, [and] we just believe that the time has come.” The need for a a fully Black-led radio station was essential, according to Parker, who considered it a “problem” the city didn’t already have one, when looking at its population. “Just four years ago, there were no Black full-time sports hosts on the radio in Detroit,” he mentioned, per CBS News. “In a city that’s nearly 80 percent Black, I looked at that as a problem.” The station launched on June 4, 2024 on AM 1270 leasing WXYT from Audacy, according to Barrett...
Oprah Winfrey has only one regret in her decades-long reign as a media mogul. Winfrey is widely recognized for her tenure as a successful journalist who went on to host and produce “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” After departing from Nashville, TN, to pursue a career in Baltimore, MD, working local news, she landed her own syndicated show. According to CBS News, she was just 22 years old when she transferred cities and spent eight years working as a 6 p.m. anchor at WJZ-TV. Winfrey later landed her talk show, “A.M. Chicago,” which was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1986. It became the top-rated show, overtaking Phil Donahue, who had maintained the status for nearly 20 years. “For a long time, I wondered why it took so long for someone to copy us,” Donahue said, per CoastTV. “Then along came Oprah Winfrey. It is not possible to overstate the enormity of her impact on the daytime television game.” The success of Winfrey’s show is proven in its number. It reportedly was the top show for...
Charles Barkley claims to have left a considerable amount of money on the table to remain with TNT. The former- basketball -player-turned-television-host joined the network back in 2000, and viewers have since watched his take on “Inside the NBA” alongside Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal. In 2022, Barkley extended his commitment to TNT, signing a 10-year $210 million contract, according to Front Office Sports. His impact in the field has been valuable to the network and media landscape earning him four Sports Emmys and leading to his induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, CNN reports . However, recently the future of “Inside the NBA” was brought into question when it was announced TNT may lose media rights to the NBA. USA Today reports the NBA did, in fact, decide to move forward with “a long-term arrangement with Amazon” because TNT Sports’ parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, did not match Amazon’s offer. The NBA said the move would go into...
Journalist Don Lemon has sued Elon Musk. Lemon was a co-host on CNN until he was let go from the network in April 2023, AP News mentioned. After his exit, Lemon was presented an offer from Musk, who acquired X in 2022, to form a partnership that would allow him to host his own show, “The Don Lemon Show.” According to a new lawsuit, Lemon claimed to be a “top prospect” for Musk who was seeking to onboard “reputable figures” to maintain advertiser interest, per CNBC. Variety noted the show was intended to allow Lemon to be “bigger, bolder, freer,” and he said it would “be available to everyone, easily, whenever and wherever you want it, streaming on the platforms where conversations are happening. And you’ll find it first on X, the biggest space for free speech in the world. I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning so stay tuned.” Taping for the show kicked off with Lemon interviewing Musk....
Revolt employees now become the largest shareholder group of the media company, The New York Times reports. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Diddy had exited his position as chairman of Revolt TV and sold his remaining shares to an anonymous buyer. Now it has been announced by Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels that Diddy has officially separated from the company he founded in 2013 alongside Andy Schuon. “One-hundred percent of Sean Combs’s shares have been redeemed and retired,” Samuels said, according to The New York Times. “He is no longer chairman. He is no longer on the board. He has no shares, no equity in Revolt. We have completely separated and dissociated from each other.” The majority of Revolt’s employees, which consists of about 80% people of color, are now the company’s largest shareholder group, the outlet notes. The initial value of Diddy’s shares in the company is unclear. “Today marks one of the biggest days we’ve seen at REVOLT and in media (especially Black media),”...
Kenny Smith has become a familiar face in sports broadcasting, and he’s being fairly compensated for his contributions. His background in sports can be traced back to his playing days on the basketball courts of the University of North Carolina, according to the National Urban League. Upon graduating with a degree in Industrial Relations, he would be drafted to the Sacramento Kings as a sixth overall draft pick in 1987, ESPN reports. On Oct. 14, 1987, Smith signed a multi-year contract with the team, RealGM mentions. He would go on to play for several teams, including the Houston Rockets, for six seasons. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) They would earn two National Championships in 1994 and 1995 during his tenure. “I was one of the perfect pieces that fit into that championship mix,” Smith told Houstonia Magazine. Smith played for a total of ten seasons in the NBA and also attached his name to the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic,...
Kevin Hart is laughing all the way to the bank. The comedian, actor, and entrepreneur scaled his presence in Hollywood, launching multi-platform media company, HARTBEAT in 2022. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, its launch was supported by a $100 million raise from Abry Partners to support content creation, hiring new teams, and the expansion of existing brands and franchises. HARTBEAT went on to debut 23 projects in TV, film, digital and audio in 2023, Variety mentions. Additionally, it has secured strategic partnerships with NBCUniversal, SiriusXM, Sundance Institute, P&G, Walmart, Chase, Draft Kings and even Netflix, releasing “Lift” on the streaming platform on January 12, 2024. His collaborations have proven to be a wise business move for HARTBEAT. According to Boardroom, it is now valued at $650 million. Reflecting on the feat during an interview on “60 Minutes” Hart explained, “I’m no longer just a comedian. I’m an investment. I’m a student. I’m a partner looking for...
For over a decade, Stephen A. Smith has been recognized as one of the faces of ESPN. Before becoming a host on “First Take,” the veteran sports broadcaster hosted “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on ESPN Radio from 2005 to 2008, per ESPN Press Room. By 2011, Smith returned to host a weekday local show on ESPN Radio 98.7FM in New York, NY, and a local show on ESPN LA 710AM in Los Angeles, CA. In an interview with “Earn Your Leisure” podcast, Smith recounted being fired from ESPN in 2009. He explained that the reason for his departure was that his contract at the time did not align with what he believed he should earn. “I thought that I deserved more than they offered,” Smith shared on “Earn Your Leisure. “I was appalled at the offer they made me. I did not like it. I did not appreciate it. I felt disrespected. And I said ‘No.’” Smith admitted that his disapproval with the offer he received was based on the acclaim and accolades that were pouring in for him. However, he says when he...
Will.i.am is immersing himself further in the media landscape. According to a press release, he has joined Jarret Myer and Rich Antoniello in forming Uproxx Studios. It is described as a brand solutions studio led by influential leaders in media and music who will consider culture and push it forward. The new entity has been established following the acquisition of Uproxx, HipHopDX, Dime Magazine, and other major media assets from Warner Music Group (WMG), such as the exclusive license to represent its YouTube content. Looking ahead, Uproxx Studios and WMG will remain in collaboration to guarantee seamless execution for their partners. Antoniello, partner and executive chairman of Uproxx Studios as well as founder and ex-CEO of Complex Network, commented, “This is a game-changer. We’re merging the agility and freedom of an independent entity with the reach and resources of a major music label. This is the recipe for groundbreaking content and unparalleled brand experiences.” Uproxx...
In light of Women’s History Month, it’s important we uplift and amplify women in media who are acting as today’s leaders of innovation and change. For Sirius XM radio host Sienna Garraway — better known as Swaggy Sie — she’s used her expertise as a media personality and content creator to propel herself into being a tastemaker for our culture. With the help of both technology and her skills in broadcasting, she’s been able to build a successful brand around herself. Swaggy Sie — a native of Brooklyn, NY — got her start in the media world as a college student interning at Sirius XM under entities such as Shade 45, Ed Lover, Sway Calloway and more. “Those entities really molded me into a person that could understand radio – the background of it, the programming side, and really gave me my foundation of media and broadcasting at such a young age,” she tells AfroTech. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Swaggy Sie (@swaggysie) “One of my first mentors DJ S Whit was very...