TV One and Cleo TV Defy Industry Trends With Audience Growth

In the age of declining linear TV ratings, TV One and sister channel Cleo TV are doing something radically different: they're growing. On Wednesday afternoon, the Black-owned TV One Networks held a virtual upfront event for marketers with Michelle Rice, president of TV One and Cleo TV, championing audience increases across channels. “After two years of being in a pandemic, we are proud of the continued growth and adjusting we’ve done as a network to produce successful programming,” Rice said in a statement. “Ratings across both linear and digital channels remain strong, and TV One and Cleo TV are continuing to expand original programming, make content distribution deals to increase access to our viewers.” Walter Evans, TV One's vice president of advertising sales and marketing, gave Adweek insight into that growth, explaining that deals with Charter, DirecTV and Fubo would significantly expand the networks' audience reach. According to Evans, both TV One and the younger-skewing Cleo TV will reach more than 50 million households in Q2. Cleo TV's distribution also continues to grow thanks to its presence on AT&T U-verse and a planned expansion on YouTube TV and Hulu Live. Ratings are also on the rise. Evans said that TV One (which is targeted toward adults 25-54) continues to perform in prime and fringe day parts, and Cleo TV, a women's lifestyle channel which debuted in 2019 and reaches millennials and Gen Z, is up in all day parts, though he did not provide specifics. "That is really a testament to the type of programming that we have on the networks," Evans said. TV One and Cleo TV rolled out the metaphorical red carpet for their programming slate during the virtual upfront. Ne-Yo, host of TV One's 2022 Urban One Honors, Jake and Jazz Smollett from Living By Design and Taste Award winner Chef Bren Herrera from Culture Kitchen all participated in the presentation. Diverse programming portfolio Though the networks focus on Black audiences and culture, the programming can appeal across demographics. For example, TV One boasts a lineup that includes Unsung, an NAACP Image Award-winning docuseries, Uncensored, an unfiltered glimpse into the lives of celebrities, and adds to its extensive True Crime offerings with Payback, a new investigative series that examines revenge. The network is also producing and co-producing several new films, including Never Would Have Made It, a Marvin Sapp biopic. On the other hand, Cleo TV, which shares less than half its audience with TV One, boasts a lineup of shows including Culture Kitchen, Living by Design, Cleo Speaks, Life Therapy and Just Eats with Chef JJ. Two new series, Decor Remixed and Global Gourmet, also debuted in April. "We are a network that is ready for that onslaught of investment. We are a healthy network with investments in programming across both Cleo TV and TV One. We are stewardship gurus in terms of how we take care of our clients," Evans said. "Those are the kinds of things that we want to make sure that advertisers know about us." Family-Friendly FETV Touts Strong Linear Growth in Upfront Pitch