Don Jackson, the CEO of Central City Productions, along with Marc Morial, former president of the National Urban League, publicly announced the launch of the Stellar TV network on July 15th during an invitation-only press announcement event during the Stellar Gospel Music Awards weekend of taping in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Stellar TV network will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Central City Productions, Inc., the oldest Black-owned and operated television production company in the country. Central City Productions has been in operation since 1970 and is dedicated to representing Black excellence.
Chicago-based Central City Productions is the creator of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, the longest-airing Black ad-supported awards show on television featuring the best in gospel music. In addition, it offers a multitude of other uplifting and original television programs such as Black Music Honors, Black College Quiz, America’s Black Forum, Mentoring Kings, Mentoring Queens, Family Night, and many others.
Don Jackson states, “With the launch of Stellar TV, Black America and others have another avenue to witness positive, uplifting and multifaceted representation of our culture, our voice and our music.”
Media partners in the launch of the new television network include Procter & Gamble, Walmart, Verizon, Toyota, State Farm, AT&T, General Motors, Dentsu/Carat, Publicis Media, Hearts and Science, and Nielsen Audience Measurement; along with distribution partners Charter Communications, Verizon FIOs, XUMO, and STIRR TV.
XUMO will serve as the ad-supported streaming service.
Upon launch, Stellar TV programming will include exclusive original content from Stellar TV’s library, plus its annual and quarterly flagship specials, along with new premiere content.
In addition, Procter & Gamble’s Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard announced P&G’s “Widen The Screen” Black creative producers initiative, which will also air on Stellar TV.
According to a February 2022 diverse-owned media report from Nielsen, Black families are accessing more content than ever, and are leaning into programming where they can feel seen and represented in a positive way.
The Stellar TV network is also committed to building the next generation of television production professionals. Stellar TV is committed to providing Black and Brown students in film and television programs at community colleges in urban cities with hands-on production training, shadowing, mentorship, internships, and employment opportunities in Stellar TV productions.
For more information on the Stellar TV Network, please visit www.StellarTV.com and www.CCPTV.com.