A new streaming service is providing more than 1,000 hours of animated content for its target audience of Black families. The platform’s fitting title is BLKFAM, and its lineup of equity partners includes actor Whoopi Goldberg.
BLKFAM is a new entrant in the free, ad-supported TV (FAST) industry, which has experienced growth as consumers have looked to cut down on the number of subscriptions they pay for. A press release from the company describes it as “the first and only Black-owned, Black-focused family streaming platform,” and its launch library includes 20 syndicated series, 1000+ hours of animation content, and hundreds of hours of music content.
With its breadth of programming, BLKFAM is responding to a desire for more Black-led family content on digital platforms. YouTube channels like Gracie’s Corner and Doggyland have thrived by providing Black families with good-natured, educational videos that can otherwise be hard to find amid a sea of questionable (and predominantly white) children’s content.
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BLKFAM is applying a similar strategy in the FAST lane. Channels catering to Black and Latino audiences are rare finds on many existing FAST hubs, even though studies have shown that Black consumers are 11% more likely to use free streaming services.
“Black culture and content is so often stereotyped, siloed or written off – so I wanted to create a platform where my kids and I can be entertained without having to face those same daily biases,” said BLKFAM Founder and CEO Larry Adams in a statement. “By curating authentic content – proven through data and AI – primarily from Black storytellers, we’ve built a service reflecting true inclusion and diversity, where Black parents and children especially can feel holistically represented.”
Goldberg signed on as a BLKFAM equity partner alongside Tom Leonardis, the President of her firm Whoop, Inc. In a statement of her own, she expressed optimism that the new streaming service will allow Black culture “to be brought to broader audiences.”
Other BLKFAM partners include The Africa Channel, Playwatch Kids, and ATTN. The free service is available on iOS, Android, Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, Samsung Smart TVs, Vizio, and LG.
