EXCLUSIVE: James DuBose, the former Fox Soul General Manager, is launching his own AVOD platform, In The Black Network, a streaming service that highlights Black voices and original stories.
The platform will launch on October 2.
In The Black Network will house a long list of entertainment from the vault of Fox Television Stations, many of which were developed by DuBose while leading Fox Soul. The new network will stream an extensive collection of free entertainment content on a dedicated app available on iOS, Android devices, Apple TV, YouTube and Samsung media players with more distribution partners to follow.
As a long-time television producer, filmmaker, and veteran of the entertainment industry, DuBose was inspired to build his black owned streaming platform that lifts Black storytellers and symbolizes Black pride. The service will include multi-genre content including sports, music, scripted, drama, talk, kids/family and feature films.
“I love everything about our culture: our faith, our resilience, our rhythm, our minds, our love. These pillars are the focus of our curated content which honors and elevates black culture and cultivates pride within our community,” said DuBose. “Throughout my career, I’ve always aimed to uplift Black voices, so bringing this new network to fruition is extremely personal and important to me. We want viewers to feel connected to authentic stories that speak to our culture, and gain a shared sense of self from enjoying our entertainingly inspiring content.”
On the programming side, DuBose has partnered with numerous content companies including pocket.watch, a digital-first kids and family studio, Black Waterhorse, a veteran distributor of Black indie films, Maverick Entertainment, a leading distributor and producer of niche, independent and Black Cinema content, along with some of Fox Soul’s licensed library shows. Content available at launch includes:
POCKET.WATCH (Kids/Family Entertainment)
- Ryan’s World Specials — Starring Ryan from Ryan’s World with over 77 billion views on his content, the series features Ryan, Gus the Gummy Gator, Combo Panda, and the whole Ryan’s World gang. Enjoy adventures, as they explore the world through play, fun challenges, and perform kid-friendly science experiments.
- Onyx Family Ultimate Mishmash — Best known on YouTube for their scary-fun series, follows the talented and hilarious Onyx kids and their fun-loving parents as they sing, compete in challenges, and investigate mysterious occurrences.
- Onyx Monster Mysteries — With great compassion and super cool gadgets, the brave Onyx Family works to save the planet’s most endangered species — monsters. This animated comedy-adventure, loaded with original Onyx songs, proves how a family that works, plays, and lives together can learn to love one another a little more too.
- Onyx Family Dinner — Take a seat at the table with YouTube’s #1 African-American family and dive into topics like politics in sports, and mental health. Special guests, including Jemele Hill and Emmanuel Acho, pull up a chair to add more insight.
- Kamdenboy & Kyraboo Ultimate Mishmash — The dynamic sibling duo uses imagination and play to conquer the world! With a little help from KB Mom and KB Dad, Kamdenboy and Kyraboo find the fun in challenges, skits, pretend play, and more.
Fox Soul’s Licensed Library
- Brutally Honest with Jasmine Brand — An award winning journalist, host, and personality Jasmine Brand takes center stage with the biggest names in Hollywood. Brutally Honest features interviews with your favorite celebrities sharing their honest truths on life, career and their journey.
- Worth a Conversation with Jeezy — Hosted by Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins, the series gives the audience an up close and personal viewpoint into the life and minds of some of the most iconic people to advance the culture.
- The Score — Malik Davis, the “Gordon Ramsey” of credit, is here to even the score financially, as he talks and walks his guests through their financial & personal woes. The Score is a new, provocative podcast dealing with the uncomfortable topic of money in the African American community.
- Cheministry — CheMinistry is a relationship platform created to bridge the gap between purpose-driven men and women who desire to progressively move their love life to the next level.
- Kitchen Talk with Maino — Kitchen Talk is Maino’s way of providing a vibe for his friends’ while having intriguing and thought-provoking conversations about everyday life. It is not a Love Show or a Cooking Show; it’s just Maino’s kitchen.
- Crockett’s Corner with Ray Crockett — Hosted by Former NFL player and sports commentator Ray Crockett and on-air television personality, sports host and emcee Ro Parish, the talk show will dive deep into a world of elitism, competition, sports history, and money making moves in an unmatched interview style. From big named players to underrated CEOs, Ray and Ro will tackle topics like mental health and intellect with featured guests.