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The media industry is opening up a host of new networks and programs to entertain the black community, but if you still haven’t found one that you enjoy, try National Black Television (NBTV1.com) which boasts that it’s the world’s first 24/7 Internet television network.

Its slogan declares “TV that Cares!” With its recent launch the network says its online streaming content is dedicated to empowering African Americans. The network covers news, sports and information from the African American perspective. The network is based in Atlanta and has bureaus worldwide with a team of nearly 2,000 news professionals.

Founder, president and CEO Stanley Everage Jr., notes that NBTV1.com is a firm supporter of historically black colleges and universities as well as the advancement of young African Americans.

“NBTV is proud to showcase college life,” Everage said in a press statement. “To give young people a view of what life can be if they stay focused on their goals, and dreams.”

Its website allows members to chat while watching shows, share information with other members and upload videos online.

“We will never come off the air, brothers and sisters. We won’t stop,” Everage said. “I want the world, especially young people, to experience the influence and power of the leaders within the African-American community.”

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(Smart Money) — For TV watchers and movie buffs who want the latest titles streamed straight to their living room, the options keep growing. And as they do, so does the obvious temptation — to drop cable service, once and for all.

Just this week, Amazon ( AMZN: 177.24, -0.51, -0.28% ) jumped into the streaming game, offering unlimited, free streaming for $79 per year as part of Amazon Prime membership. It’s the latest entrant in the bid to capture viewers via laptop or desktop — already nearly 144 million consumers watch videos online, up 3.1% from last year, reports Nielsen. And while most of those are still YouTube fare like Keyboard Cat and Justin Bieber outtakes, the options for watching movies and TV shows are growing rapidly.

The new offering from Amazon competes with Netflix ( NFLX: 212.44, -2.74, -1.27% ) , which offers some 11,000 titles to 20 million customers. Network sites, Hulu and Fancast offer current TV shows with limited commercials. And the next year promises even more options. Executives at Redbox, known for its $1-per-night rental kiosks, said last week that the company is working on a streaming video offering,Hulu is reportedly considering reinvention as an online cable provider, and Google ( GOOG: 610.04, +1.22, +0.20% ) and Apple ( AAPL: 348.16, +5.28, +1.53% ) are rumored to be eyeing the space, too.
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(Fast Company) — Did Universal Music Group make a mistake? Last month, the world’s largest record labelannounced that MTV.com would no longer be carrying its artists’ music videos; instead, the label would broadcast on Vevo, the Hulu-for-music-video platform that has been growing in popularity with help from YouTube. Vevo recently became the No. 1 online destination for music entertainment. But today, a new report from comScore shows that MTV has knocked Vevo from the top spot.

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