Today, POLARIS, the 100% black-owned television network and digital platform has announced an exclusive partnership with Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) free-streaming digital platform, HBCU GO — the leading media provider for the nation’s 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
As part of their partnership, POLARIS will create content for HBCU GO, VOD as well as AMG properties including TheGrio. Content will be focused on culture, music and news with special coverage around cultural moments, the 50th year anniversary of Hip Hop, and an investigative series around Jam Master Jay.
“It’s important for us to showcase not only the amazing sports and news programming, but also the heartbeat of the HBCU and Black Experience,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group, parent company of HBCU GO. “This new partnership with POLARIS will provide excellent programming for our HBCU GO audiences highlighting music, Black culture and more.”
In addition, POLARIS announces iconic journalist and radio personality Sway Calloway as co-founder of the network. Sway has been a pivotal part of music and culture for over two decades and is a recent inductee into the Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
Sway is also currently the host of SiriusXM’s Shade 45 daily morning show, “Sway in the Morning.” This marks the first time Calloway has teamed up with POLARIS founder Rahman J. Dukes following years of dominance together at MTV.
“I am ecstatic to be a part of POLARIS and to be able to put my two decades of work in TV and radio into a network that is 100% Black owned and focused on uplifting voices within our culture,” said Sway Calloway, Co-Founder of POLARIS. “To be able to partner with Byron Allen’s AMG, HBCU GO and TheGrio is huge and I am excited to see the impactful content we create together.”
POLARIS, one of the fastest growing platforms to enter the streaming space, made its debut in December 2021, exclusively to VIZIO users. The television platform saw success in 2022 with its coverage of MLK, Black History Month, Essence Festival and the Rolling Loud Festival.
The platform has recently launched its digital property watchpolaris.com that will also serve up exclusive content around culture, music and news.
“Aligning forces with Byron Allen, HBCU Go and the Grio is a tremendous opportunity to craft and curate content that people will look back at years later as cultural landmarks.” said Rahman J. Dukes and Shaheem Reid, co-founders of POLARIS. “This is a vision that spans over two decades and we are excited to see our vision come to fruition.”