Revolt, AT&T U-verse Reach Carriage Deal

AT&T U-verse has reached a carriage deal with music channel Revolt, the company said Tuesday (July 21).

The network, founded by hip hop entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs and launched in 2013 as one of four new minority-owned networks supported by Comcast as part of the Federal Communications Commission’s conditions for its 2010 acquisition of NBCUniversal, will be available to AT&T U-Verse subscribers as early as July 27, company officials said.

“AT&T is excited to bring Revolt programming to our customers,” said Mel Coker, chief marketing officer, AT&T Home Solutions. “Revolt is a great fit as we strive to bring our customers the content they want, when and where they want it.”

Added Combs: “This is a historical day for Revolt. With a major player like AT&T, more people will be able to access the hottest music and original content on every screen and device. This agreement shows the world that Revolt is a force in the media industry. “

The agreement comes as AT&T recently came under fire from hip hop rapper/producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who called the company “racist” in several tweets over the weekend. AT&T is in carriage negotiations with Starz, which carries Jackson starrer Power, which draws a predominantly African American audience.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.