22 Dec Variety: Variety 500 Entertainment Leaders and Icons names Byron Allen

Allen made headlines in October when he offered $10 billion for ABC, eight local TV stations and Disney-owned cable networks FX and National Geographic Channel. Shocking as it might seem, he’s no stranger to taking big swings but doesn’t always hit the ball: While he landed the Weather Channel in 2018, he whiffed more recently on Tegna’s TV stations and Paramount Global’s BET. But he’s passionate about the issues his acquisition targets have in their sights. Climate change is a big Weather Channel subject, and though he missed out on BET, news relevant to African American audiences is a top priority at another Allen-owned property, TheGrio, which aired its star-studded second annual awards ceremony on CBS in November. Sean “Diddy” Combs publicly mused this year about joining forces with Allen and Tyler Perry to form a “Black-owned media conglomerate.”