Fusion has made a TV development deal with The Root, the number one African-American news
and commentary site, Variety has learned exclusively. The Root will make its debut on the cable
net in 2016. With the new partnership, the cabler and the website will co-produce TV content from
The Root, in a continued effort for Fusion to reach a young and diverse audience.
While programming is still in the works, insiders say the content will be news-oriented and issue-based,
likely resulting in unscripted TV series, documentaries and specials.
Boris Gartner, SVP and chief strategy officer at Fusion, emphasizes that the net is already reaching
a diverse audience comprised of Hispanic and African-American households, telling Variety, “We
want Fusion to be the go-to destination for diverse, multicultural millennials, and so partnering with
the number one news site serving African-Americans is a natural move in that direction.”
Covering news, opinion, politics and culture from an African-American perspective, The Root,
according to comScore, reaches an average of five million uniques per month. The Root’s publisher,
Donna Byrd, says moving into television is a natural step for the site. “Being able to have The Root’s
voice reaching a new audience on TV is a great opportunity for both brands and we hope this is
just the beginning.”
Source: Variety