DEI-Focused Brands andAdvertiser Desire to Connect to Young, Multicultural Consumers Drive Successful Upfront Season
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK, September 20, 2023 – Fuse Media, the Latino-owned global entertainment company with one of the largest suites of DEI-focused channels, announced the successful close of its Upfronts with double-digit growth in volume and high single-digit growth in CPMs across its full spectrum of linear and digital offerings.
These substantial increases were driven by big wins in original programming on both linear and streaming as well as growth in the FAST space, offering considerable scale to advertisers who want to reach and connect with young culturally diverse viewers. Hit programs include the return of Big Freedia in Fuse’s highest rated series of the year, Big Freedia Means Business, and Critic’s Choice Real TV Award nominee, Like A Girl.
Fuse Media’s FAST channels, including Shades of Black, Backstage, Latino Vibes, and OUTtv Proud, continue to grow their distribution across all the major platforms, achieving nearly 2 billion minutes so far in 2023. Each channel is posting double or even triple-digit growth in viewership in 2023. For example, Shades of Black has more than tripled its minutes from the first half of 2022 to the first half of 2023 and Latino Vibes saw total minutes spike 50% from 1Q23 to 2Q23.
“Our success with this year’s Upfront is a validation from advertisers of Fuse Media’s mission to connect young, culturally diverse audiences with inclusive programming that shares their experiences,” said Fuse Chairman and CEO Miguel Roggero. “The results also underscore how important the rapidly growing, and increasingly intersectional, sets of underrepresented consumer segments are to marketers and the future of brands.”
Culturally diverse consumers make up approximately half the population and have a buying power of $6 trillion. Yet, as the nation’s consumer market becomes more diverse, a recent study by Fuse Media found that 57% of young people of color feel that their culture is never, rarely, or sometimes represented in media. Fuse Media has created a multiplatform ecosystem that entertains this audience with content that represents and reflects their community. 100% of Fuse Media’s original series feature people of color as on-screen talent. Further, 54% of original series feature LGBTQ+ talent, and 11% feature people with a disability.
Fuse Media’s FAST channel audiences reflect the overall upward viewer trends on these types of platforms. For example:
- Shades of Black more than tripled its minutes from the first half of 2022 to the first half of 2023.
- Total Minutes watched have grown year-to-year for 15 straight months, with July up +94% over year-ago.
- Backstage has grown for twelve straight quarters – consistently since its 2Q20 launch.
- Total Minutes watched saw double-digit year-to-year gains in July.
- Latino Vibes has consistently grown every month since its December 2022 launch, with July up double-digits over June.
- Total Minutes watched spiked +50% from 1Q23 to 2Q23.
- OUTtv Proud had its best month yet in July, close to doubling Total Minutes vs. June (+90%) with new carriage on Pluto in the U.S.
Fuse Media’s programming slate was developed to support the brand’s commitment to providing purpose-driven content that entertains and empowers young, underserved audiences. The company’s content has been recognized with industry honors including Peabody, Emmy, and Hollywood Critics Association awards, and attracts audiences that are younger and more diverse than the industry average.
About Fuse Media
Fuse Media is a Latino-owned, global entertainment company that creates and distributes vibrant, purpose-driven stories and experiences. With a portfolio of award-winning original content and a growing multiplatform footprint, the company has created a cross-platform ecosystem where everyone can see themselves represented. The Fuse Media family includes linear channels Fuse and FM (Fuse Music); subscription streaming service Fuse+; a rapidly growing suite of internationally distributed DEI-focused FAST Channels; fuse.tv; Fuse Studios, its in-house production arm; Ignition Studios, a specialized production company defining the future of inclusive content; as well as a growing branded content and live events business.
