Martin Luther King, III with Lenfest Broadcasting President Jon Gorchow at the December announcement that Bounce was heading to Philly. Image: AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Have you seen Bounce TV yet? Well, a growing number of you have being watching it. Bounce TV, the network focused squarely on programming for African-American audiences, is readying for its one-year anniversary on September 26. And the network has announced a slew of new business deals.

Since its founding in 2011 by Martin Luther King III and civil rights legend Ambassador Andrew Young, Bounce TV says it has reached up to 80 percent of African American homes. It is currently in 17 of the top 20 African-American markets and in more than 60 percent of total U.S. television households. So if you’re living in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, DC, Atlanta or Philly, for example, no doubt you’ve caught Bounce TV.

In 10 days, Bounce TV will go on the air in Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Orlando too. Bounce TV also released news that it has inked its first motion picture licensing agreement with Lionsgate that will allow Bounce to broadcast a package of African American-skewing Lionsgate movies, such as  Halle Berry’s Academy Award-winning performance in Monster’s Ball and Pride starring Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac.

“I am very proud of our network and the amazing growth it has enjoyed. Bounce TV’s rapid expansion validates the need for free programming for our under-served community,” said King, a member of Bounce TV’s board of directors, in a press statement.

Bounce TV targets African Americans primarily between the ages of 25 and 54 with movies, live sports, documentaries, original series and more. It airs 24 hours per day, seven days a week on the digital signals of local television stations.

With African Americans watching more television than other segments of the population, according to Nielsen research, Bounce TV may well be on is way to becoming the  major TV network.

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Bounce TV has gotten the ball rolling in cities across the country including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Atlanta. And now, the first ever broadcast network specifically targeted to African Americans is coming to Detroit’s ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV this fall.

According to a Business Review press release, with its new position in Detroit, Bounce TTV will now reach 75 percent of African American homes and almost 55 percent of the total households in the US.

“We are thrilled that Bounce TV will be seen on such a strong station as WXYZ in such a critical market as Detroit,” Jeffrey Wolf, Bounce TV Executive Vice President of Distribution said in a press statement.

WXYZ reaches over 1.9 million households in nine counties in Detroit’s television market. Bounce TV will target African Americans between the ages of 25-54 with a mix of original series, theatrical motion pictures, documentaries, specials, faith-based programming, live sports and off-net series.

“Bounce TV is a very meaningful programming option for our digital spectrum and an ideal way to serve the 390,000 African-American households throughout Southeast Michigan,” Ed Fernandez, the E.W. Scripps Divisional General Manager and WXYZ-TV Vice-President and General Manager said in a press statement.  “We are delighted to be their exclusive home in Detroit.”

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