19 Jan Byron Allen Ranked in MOGULS Category of Variety500’s Leading Founders/CEOs
Byron Allen
FOUNDER / CHAIRMAN / CEO
Allen acquired seven stations from Gray Television for $380 million in April 2021, giving his Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios a total of 23 network affiliates across the U.S. His portfolio also includes 10 24-hour TV networks, including the Weather Channel, along with AVOD services Local Now and The Grio. In 1993, he launched Entertainment Studios and grew it into a media empire that has given him an estimated net worth of $450 million. Allen settled a $10 billion racial discrimination suit against Charter Communications in February 2021 then filed another against McDonald’s that May. Raised by a single mom, he began his career as a comedian at 14, made his debut on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” four years later in 1979 and became one of the hosts of NBC’s “Real People” the following year.
EDUCATION: University of Southern California (CA, USA)
VARIETY HONORS
- 2018 Variety500 Honoree
- 2019 Variety500 Honoree
- 2020 Variety500 Honoree
- Dealmaker’s Impact
- Inclusion Impact
- Silicon Valleywood Impact
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