It adds to the company’s breadth of stats, including overindexing in reaching Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ audiences, according to MRI-Simmons. In addition, Fuse Media notes that it reaches 73% of Black Americans in the U.S. with an audience 7 years younger than most Black entertainment channels.
“There aren’t many minority-owned media companies that have this level of scale that we do now, that’s reaching these audiences across platforms,” Courtney said. “It’s not only audience-based targeting, but the fact that it’s contextual against very premium, long-form content across these platforms, creates a really compelling offer, distinct and unique in this marketplace.”
FAST growth
Fuse Media attributes its success to being an early entrant in the FAST space in 2018, now growing to more than 20 channels in 2024.
The company’s current FAST channels, which include Shades of Black, Backstage, Latino Vibes and OUTtv Proud, have continued their strong viewership growth, reaching nearly 2 billion minutes in 2023 ahead of the company’s upfront close. According to Fuse Media, each channel posted “double or even triple-digit growth in viewership in 2023.”
Additionally, the company is doubling down on reaching Hispanic audiences.
In addition to Somos Novelas, a Spanish-language channel featuring novelas from around the world, launching later this year to join English-language channels Latino Vibes and El Rey Rebel as part of Fuse Media’s FAST portfolio, the company recently announced that it’s the exclusive English-language home of Combate Global, the Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise, with live events airing between spring and summer 2024.
The company also features popular returning programming such as Made From Scratch, Like a Girl, Bollywed, Sex Clinic, and Fuse films and docs. In addition, Fuse Media is welcoming back one of its highest-rated series, Big Freedia Means Business, which Roggero notes comes with a “massive audience worldwide.”
“You can mention Big Freedia in L.A.; you can mention Big Freedia in New York; you can mention Big Freedia in New Orleans; you can mention Big Freedia in South Africa, and they know who she is,” Roggero said. “It’s exciting to have her on the air.”
With the company’s reach of younger, multicultural audiences that don’t necessarily intersect with other players in the marketplace, Roggero notes that Fuse Media is complementary to an upfront marketing media mix.
“It’s not just reaching a diverse audience at scale,” Roggero said. “If an advertiser wants to focus on a particular demo, we can do that with this broad ecosystem that we’ve created, and we can do that with significant numbers.”
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