Martin Luther King III, Andrew Young Launching Network Aimed at African-Americans

Martin Luther King III, son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young have joined forces to launch a broadcast TV network aimed at African-American viewers.

Bounce TV, which is being billed as “the nation’s first-ever over-the-air broadcast television network designed exclusively for African-American audiences,” will target viewers ages 25-54with a lineup that includes theatrical motion pictures, live sporting events, documentaries, specials, inspirational faith-based programs, off-net series and original programming.

In addition to King and Young, who also has served as a U.N. ambassador, the network’s founders include Andrew “Bo” Young III.

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Rob Hardy and Will Packer, co-founders of production company Rainforest Films, also are involved, with Hardy serving as chief content officer and Packer as chief strategy and marketing officer.

Former Turner Broadcasting executives Ryan Glover and Jonathan Katz will serve as executive vps.

Both Youngs along with Hardy, Packer and Glover will be part of the initial ownership team.

Bounce, launching in the fall, will air 24/7 as an ad-supported digital terrestrial network designed for carriage on the digital signals of local television stations.

To get started, the network has acquired nearly 400 movies geared toward its target audience in separate multiyear licensing deals with NBCUniversal (for titles including Ray, The Bone Collector, Do the Right Thing and The Nutty Professor) and Sony Pictures TV (Philadelphia, Boys ‘n the Hood, Glory and I Spy, among others). Bounce also has inked licensing deals with Codeblack Entertainment and Image Entertainment for additional titles.

In addition, the network has inked multiyear deals with the Urban Sports Entertainment Group for rights to air football and basketball games and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Assn. for football and basketball games.

Bounce TV will be an ad-supported network with half of that time being available for insertion of local advertising by affiliates. Jeffrey Wolf, former executive vp of U.S. syndication sales at SPT and current head of the Lobo Group, will handle network distribution of Bounce.