Advertising Age reported that major advertisers signed on as sponsors for the inaugural telecast of ‘TheGrio Awards’—a new awards program from Byron Allen’s digital news and streaming platform TheGrio. The event will “celebrate and amplify African American excellence,” said Allen. Honorees will receive shiny trophies. Advertisers will receive multi-billion-dollar lawsuits.
Byron Allen’s ‘TheGrio Awards’ Signs Amazon and PepsiCo Amid Push For More Black-Owned Media Support
Awards show airing on CBS and Paramount+ also has backing from P&G and other major brands
By Parker Herren
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Byron Allen’s digital news and streaming platform TheGrio signed Procter & Gamble, AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, PepsiCo, Amazon and Ford, among others, to sponsor its inaugural awards broadcast.
“TheGrio Awards,” which Allen says is meant to “celebrate and amplify African American excellence,” will also feature advertising from Campbell’s, Capital One, Domino's, Hyundai, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, Kraft, Lexus, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Meta, SC Johnson, Toyota, Uber, Unilever and Wendy’s.
Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, has been a major voice in the push for greater advertising spending with Black-owned media like his own. Earlier this year, Allen’s HBCU GO sports streamer signed big-name advertisers including Walmart, Procter & Gamble, AT&T and Verizon for its 2022-23 season.
Allen has also sued major companies including McDonald’s and Nielsen, for what he views as discriminatory practices, in order to force transparency around lackluster investments in diversity. The McDonald’s case is set to go to trial in May.
The awards show, set for 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 26, will air on CBS as well as through Paramount+’s linear streams of local CBS stations accessible through a premium subscription. Taped at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, “TheGrio Awards” will be hosted by actor Taye Diggs and “The Talk” host Sheryl Underwood with musical performances by Yolanda Adams, Tyrese, Fantasia and Patti LaBelle. Honorees include Dave Chappelle, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah and Tyler Perry.
“As a child, strong, positive African American icons such as Berry Gordy, Jr., Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr. helped me see myself differently, and changed the trajectory of my life,” Allen said in a press release. “Celebrating and amplifying iconic individuals is something we can never do enough of, especially for our children.”
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