CBS and NAACP have signed a multi-year agreement to develop content that tells stories based on the African American experience.
What We Know:
- Today, CBS Television Studios and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) announced they have reached an agreement on a multi-year partnership to develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary content for linear television networks and streaming platforms, they announced in a joint statement.
- Under the agreement, CBS Television Studios’ creative leaders will collaborate with the civil rights organization to acquire and produce programming with a focus on content that expands and contributes to a constantly evolving society. They aim to tell stories that are inclusive and increase the visibility of Black artists in media and will be developing and selling programming to third party platforms.
- “An important way to diversify and grow our storytelling is to expand our horizons beyond the traditional studio-producer system,” said President and CEO of the CBS Entertainment Group George Cheeks. “At the same time, this is a strategic opportunity for CBS to build upon as well as re-imagine our pipeline for existing and emerging creative talent.”
“In this moment of national awakening, the time has never been better to further tell stories of the African American experience,” said Derrick Johnson, President, and CEO of the NAACP. “Programming and content have the power to shape perspectives and drive conversations around critical issues.”
- The broadcast network is committing 25% of its script development budget to creators, writers, and producers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in the 2021/22 development season. They have also mandated that writers’ rooms be staffed with at least 40% BIPOC and will increase it to 50% the following season.
CBS Television Studios is one of the largest suppliers of programming with more than 70 series in production in broadcast, cable, streaming, and other types of consumer platforms. The NAACP was founded in 1909 as a response to the violence against Black people in the U.S. and is the largest civil rights organization in the country.
