Fuse Media, the Latino-owned global entertainment company with one of the largest suites of DEI-focused channels, announced the successful close of its Upfronts with double-digit growth in volume and high single-digit growth in CPMs across its full spectrum of linear and digital offerings.

These increases were driven by big wins in original programming on both linear and streaming as well as growth in the FAST space, offering considerable scale to advertisers who want to reach and connect with young culturally diverse viewers. Hit programmes include the return of Big Freedia in Fuse’s highest rated series of the year, Big Freedia Means Business, and Critic’s Choice Real TV Award nominee, Like A Girl.

Fuse Media’s FAST channels, including Shades of Black, Backstage, Latino Vibes, and OUTtv Proud, continue to grow their distribution across all the major platforms, achieving nearly 2 billion minutes so far in 2023. Each channel is posting double or even triple-digit growth in viewership in 2023. For example, Shades of Black has more than tripled its minutes from the first half of 2022 to the first half of 2023 and Latino Vibes saw total minutes spike 50 per cent from Q1 2023 to Q2 2023.

“Our success with this year’s Upfront is a validation from advertisers of Fuse Media’s mission to connect young, culturally diverse audiences with inclusive programming that shares their experiences,” said Fuse Chairman and CEO Miguel Roggero. “The results also underscore how important the rapidly growing, and increasingly intersectional, sets of underrepresented consumer segments are to marketers and the future of brands.”
Culturally diverse consumers make up approximately half the population and have a buying power of $6 trillion. Yet, as the nation’s consumer market becomes more diverse, a recent study by Fuse Media found that 57 per cent of young people of color feel that their culture is never, rarely, or sometimes represented in media. Fuse Media has created a multiplatform ecosystem that entertains this audience with content that represents and reflects their community. 100 per cent of Fuse Media’s original series feature people of color as on-screen talent. Further, 54 per cent of original series feature LGBTQ+ talent and 11 per cent feature people with a disability.

Fuse Media’s FAST channel audiences reflect the overall upward viewer trends on these types of platforms. For example:

Fuse Media’s programming slate was developed to support the brand’s commitment to providing purpose-driven content that entertains and empowers young, underserved audiences. The company’s content has been recognized with industry honors including Peabody, Emmy, and Hollywood Critics Association awards, and attracts audiences that are younger and more diverse than the industry average.