07 Apr Byron Allen & Verizon Partner On Black-Owned Media Summit Set For May

By Matt Grobar

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has partnered with Verizon on a Black-owned media summit scheduled for May.

The goal of this new diversity, equity and inclusion initiative is to increase media spending with Black-owned companies based in the United States.

“I’m very proud of Verizon, one of the largest advertisers in the world, coming to the table to make sure we have real economic inclusion for Black-owned media,” said Allen, who is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Allen Media Group. “The biggest trade deficit in our nation is the trade deficit between corporate America and Black America, and we must close that gap immediately.”

“Verizon has been working to address diversity, equity and inclusion issues for years and we are proud of the actions we continue to take to move the industry forward,” added John Nitti, Chief Media Officer, Verizon. “Increasing our financial commitment to Black-owned media companies and partnering with Allen Media Group to host a summit that will provide these companies with resources to help enable long term growth is a crucial part of our responsible marketing action plan. It is also an important step in creating the equity the industry needs.”

Founded in 1993, Allen Media Group owns 16 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations, along with ten 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 180 million subscribers, including The Weather Channel, Pets.TV, Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Cars.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, JusticeCentral.TV, TheGrio.TV and This TV. Adding its eleventh network (The Weather Channel En Espanol) this year, the company is one of the largest independent producer-distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast TV stations, producing, distributing and selling advertising for 67 television programs. Continuing to expand its reach around the globe, Allen Media Group International Television currently has active license agreements and programming in South Africa, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, The Bahamas, Canada and New Zealand.

It was in 2016 that Allen Media Group purchased The Grio, “a highly-rated, digital video-centric news community platform, devoted to providing African-Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets.”

While heading up Allen Media Group, Allen also spearheads Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company that he founded in 1993. ESMP’s feature credits to date include oceanic thriller 47 Meters Down, Scott Cooper Western, Hostiles, and more.

Allen Media Group is headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Raleigh.