There’s a new sports package in town!
Byron Allen just inked a deal with CBS to bring HBCU sports games to nationwide broadcast television, Essence reports.
Byron Allen is a media mogul and the founder of Allen Media Group, a television group aimed at acquiring popular stations and affiliates deeply ingrained in local communities. One of his streaming platforms, HBCU Go, has been broadcasting historically Black colleges and universities sports games via their app, available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. Now Allen has announced an expansion of the app’s offerings, recently inking a deal with CBS that brings the programming nationwide to major broadcast television.
HBCU Go will now be available for viewing on CBS-affiliated duopoly stations, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Tampa, Detroit, Miami, and Pittsburgh. The deal comes just in time for the fall sports season and HBCU Go has already cemented distribution partnerships with a number of group-owned television stations including Cox, Tegna, Scripps, Nexstar, Gray, Allen Media broadcasting, and more!
Wendy McMahon, President of CBS News and Stations issued a press release about the new deal, saying she is proud to have the station highlight the athletics at HBCUs.
“We are honored to work with our partners at Allen Media Group to bring live broadcasts of HBCU football games to our audiences in 12 major markets. As a Louisiana native and football fan, I am personally and professionally proud to play a role in having our stations shine a light on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the student athletes who are living out their dreams both on the field and in the classroom,” said McMahon.
The new deal comes at a time when Black athletes and HBCU sports are in the spotlight. The recent NIL ruling has allowed student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness for the first time in history, opening financial pathways for minority students who may not have had such access and opportunities. Meanwhile, HBCUs like Jackson State are reclaiming their long-ago greatness with celebrities like Deion Sanders at the helm, becoming a force to be reckoned with and rising to the top of the ranks in terms of recruiting top prospects.
Allen says this new venture will help amplify HBCUs greatness and bring in a wealth of financial support to schools and students that need it the most.
“Allen Media Group is thrilled that the CBS O&O stations have joined our excellent group of broadcast television station partners to increase the reach of HBCU GO’s high-quality sports programming. We are proud to amplify these amazing athletes and HBCUs, while at the same time helping to finance the education of these young adults. Now sports fans across the country will have access to best-in-class games from America’s HBCUs,” said Allen via press release.
Fall sports kicks off on September 3rd and you can stream HBCU Go programming via HBCUGO.TV or check your local listings!
Photo Courtesy of Michele Thomas Photography/Variety