LOS ANGELES– Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group is proud to announce its recently-acquired MGM over-the-air broadcast television network Light TV will officially transition to TheGrio.TV television network on January 15, 2021 – the start of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. The newly-rebranded broadcast television network TheGrio.TV will feature African American-focused content reaching over 100 million U.S. households via over-the-air broadcast television stations, cable/telco/satellite platforms, and free digital streaming.
TheGrio.TV – with its new network brand slogan “Our Culture Forever” – will feature movies, sitcoms, dramas, concerts, talk shows, variety shows, game shows, news, and lifestyle content.
Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group
At one time owned by NBCUniversal, TheGrio.com was purchased by Byron Allen in 2016 when it had less than 1 million monthly active users. In Summer 2020, TheGrio.com achieved its peak of over 10.5 million monthly active users. TheGrio.com is now one of the most visited news and entertainment sites for the African-American community, and is the largest employer of African-American journalists. In the past 2 years, Allen Media Group has invested over one billion dollars in acquiring media assets, including The Weather Channel in 2018, and 16 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX broadcast network affiliate television stations around the country. Allen Media Group plans to invest an additional $10 billion over the next two years to acquire other strategic media assets.
“The Grio – which means ‘storyteller’ in Africa – is the first platform to offer an online digital news destination, a free streaming app providing local news, weather, sports, traffic, and entertainment content geofenced to the user’s zip code, and an over-the-air broadcast television network,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “TheGrio.TV is especially important to me as it will both serve and uplift all viewers. TheGrio.TV is the first and only 100 percent African American-owned and targeted broadcast television network and free digital platform – making us truly authentic, without being filtered or controlled by others outside of the community.”
Here is the White Mountains of AZ (Show Low area) we only have 6 over the air station coming off of Porter mountain. Light TV was one of the better one’s we either watched daily or at least many times during the week. Now you pulled it and putting on GRIO I can say that we are 100% certain we will never view this station. Not because it is black owned. Hell no.. But because you are shoving down our throats woke bullshit…. Go woke got broke…You have killed this market place for us and others… Thank God we have a streaming box and can see what we want and not what is being pushed on us.
Hard to argue with folks’ true feelings, but, still, ignorant comments.
I haven’t seen it yet (the transition has yet to take place in Phoenix). I don’t object to black target marketing, I frequently watch Bounce TV, but I am concerned about the possibility of the exclusion of other ethnicities. I am of Portuguese descent, but I have a nephew with a stepdaughter of mixed African American heritage. I love this young lady and want to keep abreast of all the issues that could affect her (e.g. BLM , etc).
Light TV provided mostly quality youth programing. It will be missed. The Grio appears interesting and i hope its programing is watchable.
Congratulations Mr. Byron Allen, we love you…..
Much success!
When will Philadelphia PA have the opportunity to
view GrioTV.👍😊👍
Instead of replacing Light tv could they have at least made a channel to just be added? Then there would be good shows to watch on both channels. I’ll miss light tv, I watch it almost daily.
The Byron Entertainment Group acquired Light TV from MGM, so it is no longer available. There are a couple of channels similar to Light TV on satellite television. You would probably have to contact Fox 10 who is licensed for that channel to find out how to get a Light TV replacement on.
This is a total rip off for those of us who lived Light TV’s old format. I watched that channel faithfully.
Why couldn’t you just create another channel to add this programming?
I certainly won’t be watching this one!
It is true all good things come to an end. Light TV was one of the best networks with tv shows the whole family could watch Good wholesome shows like Heartland. Now we are stuck with Grio. No thanks. Will not even give it a try as I know that there is a motive to shove something down my throat and will not like it one bit.
TheGrio.TV will feature European-American focused content … TheGrio.TV – with its new network brand slogan “Our Culture Forever”
Sure sounds racist to me.