The Bounce television network and the Brown Sugar streaming service are teaming up to carry Aretha Franklin’s farewell memorial service live this Friday, Aug. 31. The funeral will take place at the Greater Grace Temple in Franklin’s beloved hometown of Detroit. Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Ronald Isley, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters and Marvin Sapp are among the 19 artists scheduled to perform at the family-and-friends-only service. Smokey Robinson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Former President Bill Clinton will be among the high-profile speakers.
Bounce and Brown Sugar will partner with Bounce’s local Detroit affiliate, WXYZ-TV,for the special event, airing and streaming WXYZ’s hometown coverage and commentary nationwide. “Celebrating the Queen of Soul” will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET. WXYZ news anchors and longtime friends of Franklin, Carolyn Clifford and Glenda Lewis, will host the hour-long event. The special will include highlights and remembrances of the legendary singer’s career interspersed with live reports from outside Greater Grace Temple as celebrities, politicians, friends and loved ones arrive to pay their respects.
The memorial service is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. ET. Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations with corresponding cable carriage and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, special events, live sports and more.
Visit BounceTV.com for local channel information. Brown Sugar (@BrownSugarApp) is Bounce’s popular new streaming service featuring the biggest collection of iconic African-American movies available, as well as Bounce originals, live special events and more. It is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Channels, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle, Android and Apple smartphones and tablets and web browsers via BrownSugar.com.
Brown Sugar also has Google Chromecast capabilities which allow video to play on televisions directly from mobile devices and tablets for consumers with Android and iOS devices. There is a free initial trial period for subscribers with a retail price of $3.99/month thereafter. Visit www.BrownSugar.com for more information.
Brown Sugar and Bounce are part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).
Binge-Worthy Marathons of Seasons One & Two April 7-8, All Episodes Available for Streaming on Brown Sugar
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The much-anticipated third season of the hit drama series Saints & Sinners returned on Bounce this past Sunday, with new episodes premiering every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) through the season finale on May 27.
And all hell breaks loose in season three.
A vicious, no-holds-barred battle for Greater Hope Baptist Church erupts between the old guard, Cypress Mayor Ella Johnson (Vanessa Bell Calloway) and Rex Fisher (Clifton Powell), and the young bloods Levi Sterling (Christian Keyes) and Jabari Morris (J.D. Williams) while Kendrick Murphy (Tray Chaney) tries to survive a life-threatening predicament in order to expose his grandmother, Leona Byrd(Donna Biscoe) as a killer. Miles Calloway (Keith Robinson) is once again caught between his wife and his one-time mistress, Christie Johnson (Jasmine Burke) as Tamara’s (Demetria McKinney) wild allegations threaten to put Christie away forever and rock Cypress to its core. Detective St. Charles (Afemo Omilami) has his hands full with chaos and crime running rampant in Cypress in season three. Visit the Saints & Sinners media site here.
Bounce will air binge-viewing marathons of Saints & Sinners season one on Saturday, April 7 and season two on Sunday, April 8 with both marathons starting at 1:00 p.m. ET. Season one and two episodes of Saints & Sinners are available anytime at Brown Sugar, Bounce’s new subscription video-on-demand service whichis accessible on Amazon Channels, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle, Apple TV, Roku, Android and Apple smartphones and tablets and web browsers via BrownSugar.com.
The second season of Saints & Sinners was seen by nearly 8.4 million unduplicated viewers and 5.7 million households across all airings on Bounce. Saints & Sinners is produced in partnership with Swirl Films.
Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage, and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports, and more. Bounce has grown to be available in more than 99 million homes across the United States and 95% of all African-American (AA) television homes, including all the top AA television markets. Bounce is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP).
First-Ever Repurposing Programming Deal by a Multicast Network
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Bounce, the fastest-growing African-American network on television, has acquired the day & date repurpose rights to “The Wendy Williams Show” from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury in a new agreement announced today.
The deal represents the first-ever repurposed programming arrangement done by a new-generation broadcast network, also known as a multicast network.
Starting Monday, March 5, Bounce will air “The Wendy Williams Show” weeknights at 11:00pm ET*/8:00pm PT* on the same day the episode premieres in syndication.
“The opinionated voice of The Wendy Williams Show has come to symbolize pop culture. We’re thrilled to welcome Wendy and her loyal fanbase to the Bounce family,” said Jonathan Katz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Katz Networks, which operates Bounce.
“Bounce offers a great home for African-American programming and Wendy,” commented Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein. “We are a company all about firsts, and are very pleased to make this historic multicast network repurposing deal with our friends at Scripps’ Katz Networks.”
Referred to as a “breakthrough in daytime” by The New York Times, “The Wendy Williams Show” is a daily one-hour entertainment talk show which features mother, wife and best-selling author Wendy Williams. Broadcast live from New York, the show features Wendy’s distinctive personality, accompanied by a mix of celebrity guests and popular segments such as “Ask Wendy,” where Wendy offers advice to audience members looking for solutions to problems and “Hot Topics,” Wendy’s honest and authentically opinionated take on headlines of the day. Prior to hosting this show, Williams enjoyed a successful 23-year career as one of radio’s most popular personalities. “The Wendy Williams Show” is produced and distributed by Debmar-Mercury.
About Debmar-Mercury Debmar-Mercury produces and distributes The Wendy Williams Show; has U.S. distribution rights to FremantleMedia North America’s Steve Harvey-hosted Family Feud; distributes Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns, as well as Revolution/CubeVision’s Are We There Yet?(starring Ice Cube); and sitcoms including Anger Management (starring Charlie Sheen); and has U.S. TV distribution rights to South Park. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader.
About Bounce Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage, and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports, and more. Bounce has grown to be available in more than 99 million homes across the United States and 95% of all African-American (AA) television homes, including all the top AA television markets. Bounce is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP).
*Approximately; actual start time depends upon length of preceding movie presentation.*
Bounce, the first-and-only over-the-air broadcast television network for African Americans, will honor Black History Month in February witha compelling programming tribute; highlights include:
The 2018 Bounce Trumpet Awards, the prestigious annual event celebrating African-American achievements and contributions premieresSunday, February 11at9:00 p.m. ET hosted by actors Larenz Tate and Erica Ash. Ludacris, CeeLo Green, Cameo, Doug E. Fresh, Xscape, Bow Wow, Keke Wyattand more gather to perform and to honor the outstanding accomplishments of African Americans and those who have succeeded against great odds and inspired success in others.
A special installment of the Bounce newsmagazine showEd Gordon called “Am I Black Enough?” which will examine the nuances of cultural identity within the Black community to define exactly what it means to “be Black.” The award-winning journalist and series producer/host Gordon explores this interesting subject matter with influencers such as Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Anderson, Wayne Brady, Yara Shahidi,Taye Diggs, Charlamagne Tha God, Misty Copeland, Boris Kodjoeand others. On Monday, Feb. 12, “Am I Black Enough?” will be available for streaming exclusively on Brown Sugar, the new subscription-video-on-demand service featuring the biggest collection of the baddest African-American movies of all-time which also showcases Bounce original programming. The special will premiere on Bounce on Saturday, Feb. 17.
A new original short-form series of vignettes called “Your Story Matters” spotlighting the unique and inspiring experiences of trailblazing African Americans, including legendary actress, philanthropist and Brown Sugar spokeswomanPam Grier, Academy Award®-winning actor and community activistLou Gossett, Jr.and NASA engineer and 2018 Bounce Trumpet Award Honoree Dr. Lonnie Johnson.
Bounce will also feature a variety of relevant movies throughout February including: Amistad, starring Morgan Freeman and Djimon Hounsou; the 2008 adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun featuring Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan, Sean Combs and Audra McDonald; Panther with Courtney B. Vance, Kadeem Hardison and Chris Rock; Ruby Bridges, Selma, Lord, Selma and more. Additionally, a one-hour documentary chronicling the civil rights movement, Trail of Hope: The Journey to Equality, will air on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Giant Steps, a new sitcom starring three very accomplished Black jazz musicians, has just been released on Amazon Prime.
Dubbed “America’s First Jazz Sitcom,” Giant Steps, which is shot in Harlem, is an old-school comedy in the spirit of Sanford and Son and stars legendary bassist Mickey Bass, Duke Ellington Orchestra alum and creator Gregory Charles Royal, and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s saxophonist Brent Birckhead.
“In the tradition of Black creativity, where we always find a way to express ourselves in fresh ways, the sitcom format allows us to hit America with jazz in a brand new flavor,” says Royal.
Giant Steps centers around three older guys: Mickey, the legendary bassist, his longtime student Chuckie, and Mickey’s best friend and manager Manny, who share a Harlem apartment where, as the tagline states, “Every day is a rollercoaster”. Their arch rival is a young braggadocious sax player named Brent, who thinks the old cats need to step aside and let some new blood into the game.
The unique nature of the show allows the main actors to actually perform, something that has never been attempted in modern television and a tradition lost from the early movies of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and others.
The aspect of the musician-actors is not a coincidence, as it is the primary mission of its creator Gregory Charles Royal, who has championed the concept with his organizations New York Jazz Film Festival and American Youth Symphony. “Just like Def Comedy Jam did with comedians, jazz musicians need to also adapt and branch out into the current mediums of the 21st century,” says Royal.
The first season is a 3-part episodic titled ‘April Fools Jazz’ and can be viewed free with an Amazon Prime membership. Royal hopes that an African American outlet such as a Bounce or a BET will see the value in the programming to produce season two.
