Comcast Launches Black Experience on Xfinity Channel, Endorsed by African American Film Critics Association

The first-of-its-kind, curated destination of Black content, endorsed by the African American Film Critics Association, is available to customers on Xfinity X1, Flex and Stream App at no additional cost

Channel includes the ultimate in Black storytelling from Black programming partners, film studios as well as original programming from emerging Black content creators

Comcast NBCUniversal is excited to announce the launch of Black Experience on Xfinity, a first-of-its kind destination of Black entertainment, movies, TV shows, news, and more. Curated by industry leaders, Black Experience will feature high-quality content from many of Xfinity’s existing network partners, at no additional cost, while investing millions of dollars in fostering and showcasing emerging Black content creators. The channel is the only one of its kind endorsed by African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the world’s largest group of Black film critics that gives annual awards for excellence in film and television.

Black Experience on Xfinity offers one-stop access to a collection of content that showcase the breadth of Black culture. Available at home on Xfinity X1 and Flex, and on-the-go with the Xfinity Stream app, the Black Experience on Xfinity will entertain, educate, and uplift, featuring Black actors, writers, producers, and directors. At home, Xfinity subscribers can visit channel 1622 or simply say “Black Experience” into the Voice Remote to instantly enjoy the ultimate in Black storytelling.

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“The launch of Black Experience on Xfinity is a major investment in the Black creative community and one of the many ways we are leveraging the scale and reach of our platforms to amplify voices that need to be heard,” said Keesha Boyd, Executive Director, Multicultural Video & Entertainment, Xfinity Consumer Services. “In the six months leading up to this launch, we have expanded our offering of Black programming to millions of additional Xfinity customers. The Black Experience Channel on Xfinity will allow us to further highlight our fantastic content partners, while also premiering original programming from emerging Black content creators and Black-owned production companies.”

Beginning this Black History Month, Comcast will feature curated selections, including films and TV shows that have been honored by AAFCA via its Film and TV Awards Programs, known as the AAFCA Collection.

“We are so excited for this opportunity to work with Comcast to further promote diverse content to both audiences who crave it and those who may be completely unaware of it. As the largest organization of Black film critics in the world, we are in a very unique position to work with Comcast in their creation of this viewing platform. Unlike many other organizations, advocacy and community engagement is at the core of what AAFCA does so that’s why this relationship with Comcast resonates so. It truly allows AAFCA to do what we do best, but on a much grander scale,” said AAFCA President/CEO Gil Robertson. “In addition to presenting classic, overlooked or forgotten titles, we are super eager to endorse Comcast’s giving emerging voices and NextGen content creators a boost by spotlighting their work via our AAFCA Collection on Xfinity. Because Comcast is so multifaceted in its capabilities, there are truly no limits to the content audiences will find in the AAFCA Collection or on the Black Experience on Xfinity at large.”

Black Experience will uniquely blend programming from across the Xfinity content catalog, spanning networks, free and ad-supported video streaming services, streaming music providers and more. At launch, viewers will be able to choose from a selection of sample content from existing partners like TVOne, Cleo, AspireTV, REVOLT, Afro, KweliTV, The Africa Channel, BET, BET Her, Impact, Up Faith & Family and OWN, along with numerous critically acclaimed iconic classic titles such as: “Pursuit of Happyness,” “Jumping the Broom,” “Poetic Justice,” “Two Can Play that Game,” “Death at a Funeral”, “Guess Who,” “Blue Streak,” “Lakeview Terrace” and many more. Viewers can watch these movies and more now on Xfinity. Going forward, Xfinity subscribers will have access to all-new, premiere content by new and up-and-coming Black content creators, available only to Xfinity customers included with their service.

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“From music and sports, to politics and social impact – the future is being actively designed by Black creators. We are excited to take part in the launch of Black Experience on Xfinity, a platform that will give the world a better understanding of the collective Black perspective,” added Detavio Samuels, COO at REVOLT Media & TV.

Xfinity delivers the best entertainment to customers, including thousands of hours of diverse programming from more than 100 networks and streaming services, via its X1 and Flex devices. X1 provides the most comprehensive library of entertainment on one platform – aggregating live TV, On Demand, and popular streaming apps from a growing collection of networks and streaming services. Xfinity Flex is a 4K streaming device included with Xfinity Internet that extends the best features of X1 to customers who prefer only a broadband experience, giving them one integrated guide to access all of their favorite streaming video and music apps, as well as a TV interface to manage their Xfinity WiFi, mobile, security and automation services – all of which is controllable with the award-winning Xfinity voice remote.

“At AspireTV, we are proud to be a network that authentically celebrates Black culture through lifestyle programming,” said Melissa Ingram, Senior Vice President, Multicultural Networks and Strategy, UP Entertainment. “Since AspireTV’s launch, we have used our platform to highlight up-and-coming Black voices in the community and are thrilled to further amplify those efforts through the Black Experience on Xfinity.”

“Each year, Comcast Xfinity celebrates and recognizes Black History Month through the introduction of new campaigns focused on Black content and showcasing authentic Black culture,” added Boyd. “Black Experience on Xfinity and its content will align with Xfinity’s goals of paying homage to Black history and the community, amplifying Black voices and stories, and creating opportunities that empower the next generation of Black storytellers.”

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