List of black owned television networks

The current #BlackLivesMatter, among other things, is beginning to shed more light on the marginalization of the blacks in the United States and the uneven distribution of the state's economy. About five years ago, Byron Allen, an entrepreneur accused Comcast and Time Warner Cable of discriminating against black-owned media companies by creating just "a few spaces" for their channels at the "back of the bench." However, a federal district court judge in California threw out the $20 million lawsuits dismissing the 71 pages lawsuit after going through only three pages. 

The dismissal and refusal to address this issue at this period do not mean that Black-owned Television stations in the US do not suffer discrimination from broadcast and cable ownership. While this article is not to revisit this issue, it aims to give a succinct list of the black-owned TV stations in the United States. The list would explain whether or not Blacks are truly marginalized in terms of broadcast and cable ownership.

However, it is important to note that at the period of the case, blacks only owned 10 TV stations in the United States. Till this period, nothing much has changed. Below is a list of television stations owned by Blacks in the United States. 

The African Station

The African Station was co-founded by Zimbabwean James Makawa and launched in the United States in September 2006. The headquarter of the station is located in North Hollywood, California. The station is a cable channel that focused on lifestyle, culture, and traveling series. It also presents special documentaries and events aimed to promote the reflect the land, people, and history of the Africans.

The African Station is broadcast in the United States through Comcast, COX Communication, and Time Warner Cable, COX Communications. It is available throughout the Caribbean Island and other surrounding islands. 

Aspire (TV network)

This is an American pay television station targeting Black Americans. Aspire is owned by Magic Johnson Enterprise and launched on June 27th, 2012. The channel's slogan is "see yourself here."  The headquarter is located in Atlanta, Georgia.

African Today TV (ATTV)

African Today was launched on August 5th, 2014, and owned bu Dr. Yaya Moussa. It is an independent public service and education station for all African and American audiences across the United States. The station focus on African and International affairs. 

African Today has it headquarter in Washington, D.C. The station is broadcast in the United State through Time Warner, COX Communications, Comcast, and Verizon Fios. 

BET 

Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American pay station launched on January 25th, 1980, more than 40 years ago. The station is owned by BET Networks (ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) and targeted at the African American audience. BET slogan is "Yes to Black"

Formerly, the station's headquarter was located at Washington, D.C. but have been moved to New York City. The broadcast area includes the United States, France, Canada, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. BET sister channels include the CW, CBS, CBS Sports Network, BET Her, BET Gospel, BET Hip-Hop, BET Soul, BET Jams, VHI, MTV, Logo, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land, CMT, Showtime, Flix, The Movie Channel, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, and Telefe Internacional.

Black Family Channel

Black Family Channel is an American cable television network established in 1999 and formerly known as MBC Network. The channel schedule a lot of programs aimed at the African-American audience. It was owned by Major Broadcasting Channel. However, it is important to note that Black Family Channel closed on April 30 2007 after announcing that it will be ceased as a cable channel on April 24, 2007.

Bounce TV

Bounce TV is an American digital multicast television network owned by Katz Broadcasting, a subsidiary of E. W. Scripps Company. The station was founded by Martin Luther King III and Andrew Young Martin Luther King III and Andrew Young on April 4th, 2011. It engages in a mix of original and acquired programs targeted at the African-American audiences within the age of 29 to 50. The headquarter is located in Atlanta, Georgia.

 Cleo TV

Cleo TV is an American cable network owned by Urban One. It was officially launched on January, 19th 2019, and targeted at the African-American women. The headquarter of the station is located at Silver Spring, Maryland. 

Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)

OWN is an American basic cable channel launched on January 1st, 2011, and jointly owned by Discovery Inc. and Harpo Studios. The network replaced the Discovery Health Channel. The broadcast area includes across the United States. The headquarter is located in West Hollywood, California, United States. 

OWN has other sister channels include Cooking Channel, American Heroes Channel, 

Destination America, DIY Network, Discovery Life, Food Network, HGTV, Great American Country, TLC, and Travel Channel. 

Revolt TV

Revolt is an American music-oriented digital cable television channel launched on October 21, 2013. It was founded by Sean Combs. The network slogan is "Unapologetically Hip Hop" The headquarters of the station is located in Los Angeles, California. 

Soul of the South Television

Soul of the South Television is an African-American-focused regional broadcast network owned by SSN Media Group, LP. The station was founded by Edwin AventCarl McCaskill Larry Morton in 2011. 

Soul of the South Television Network's primary broadcast area is the Southern USA, while the secondary areas include highly populated African-American areas in the northern part. The headquarter is located at Little Rock, AR.

TV One American TV channel

TV One is another American basic cable television channel owned by Urban One after the company acquired the Comcast's stake in the TV channel in 2015. The channel features a series of programs including lifestyle and entertainment all of which are targetted at the African-American adults. The station's slogan is "Represent."

The station headquarters is located in Silver Spring, Maryland.

VH1 (Video Hits One)

VH1 is an American pay television network owned by ViacomCBS and based in New York City. The network was created during the division between Warner Communications and the original owner of MTV. It was officially launched on January 1, 1985. VH1 was created to replace Cable Music Channel. 

The network has other sister channels including CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, Showtime, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, The Movie Channel, MTV, Flix, CMT, Nickelodeon, Logo, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, BET, TV Land, and Telefe Internacional