LIN TV Corp. announced it will carry Bounce TV, an over-the-air broadcast television network for African-American audiences, in five markets when the network launches this fall. Bounce TV will be seen on LIN TV Corp. stations in Indianapolis, Hartford/New Haven, Norfolk, Dayton and Mobile/Pensacola as part of the multi-year agreement.
The deal is the second major distribution agreement for the newly announced Bounce TV, coming on the heels of the network’s foundation agreement with Raycom Media. Bounce TV expects to be in at least 50 percent of U.S. television households at launch with more distribution agreements to be announced shortly.
“We believe that launching Bounce TV utilizes our digital spectrum in a strategic and meaningful manner,” commented LIN Media Executive Vice President Scott M. Blumenthal. “Bounce TV will be a great vehicle for our stations to serve this underserved audience while delivering the critical Adult 25–54 African-American demographic to our advertisers.”
Bounce TV will feature a programming mix of motion pictures, live sporting events, documentaries, specials, faith-based programs, original programming and more. It will air 24 hours a day, seven days a week as a digital terrestrial network designed for carriage on the digital signals of local television stations.
Bounce TV just acquired the television rights to more than 400 African American-skewing motion pictures in four individual, multi-year licensing agreements, including: Jamie Foxx’s 2004 Academy Award-winning performance as Ray Charles in “Ray;” Denzel Washington’s Academy Award-nominated role in “The Hurricane” and “The Bone Collector,” which pairs him with Angelina Jolie; Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing,” “Jungle Fever,” and “Mo’ Better Blues;” and others.
Live sports and events will be part of the Bounce TV schedule and the network also has a multi-year rights agreement with Urban Sports Entertainment Group (USEG) to televise both football and basketball games from the nation’s largest African-American athletic conference, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
