Some viewers have long noticed a collective disinvestment in Black-focused content across entertainment platforms. A new partnership is aiming to remedy that.
NBCUniversal recently announced it has expanded it has entered into an expanded deal with the inclusive mission-driven media company, Group Black, which will include the spearheading of a new content collection on Peacock.
“With this expanded partnership, NBCUniversal is leveraging the E! brand and its deep connection to pop culture to deliver a new destination on Peacock for cross-cultural audiences and marketers,” said Peter Blacker, EVP, Streaming & Data Products and Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “The E!+ collection provides brands of all sizes new opportunities to connect with engaged multicultural viewers and enhance visibility in Peacock’s pristine ad environment.”
Recent data shows the majority of on-screen entertainment is largely homogenous.
Per a recent study of film inclusivity from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Black actors only made up about 13.0% of speaking role in onscreen projects from 2007 to 2022.
The expanded deal with NBCUniversal and Group Black’s builds upon its original partnership from Peacock’s 2023 Black Excellence 365, a program that focused on curating a collection of Black-led and diverse content marketed and sold by Group Black.
“At Group Black, we’re committed to reshaping media ownership and investment. Partnering with NBCUniversal marks a significant milestone in realizing this vision,” said Cavel Khan, Group Black’s Chief Growth Officer in a statement. “Through E!+ with Peacock and NBCUniversal, we’re offering a home for multicultural content to shine and facilitating meaningful connections between the marketplace and diverse audiences.”