Comcast and Verizon Fios have dropped multicultural-focused network Fuse. Fuse President and CEO Michael Schwimmer called the Comcast decision “both surprising and troubling considering that Fuse met Comcast’s financial demands and no other requirements were ever communicated to us.” Comcast said in a statement that much of the content carried by Fuse is similar to other networks, like BET and TV One, and that it is launching two new African-American minority-owned networks, Afro and Cleo TV. As for Verizon Fios, Fuse said the telecommunications company’s final offer “contained terms Verizon Fios understood were unacceptable.” Fuse noted it is one of the few networks experiencing viewership growth, with ratings among P18-34 up 50% since 2015.
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