Fuse Media has announced the linear and digital programs that are making up the multiplatform entertainment media brand’s 2019-2020 slate.
In the upcoming season, Fuse will premiere a trio of new shows, including the tentatively titled The Read with Kid Fury and Crissie West inspired by the pair’s popular podcast that takes on a talk/variety show format. Sugar and Toys marks Fuse’s first venture into adult animation, and will explore trends and issues relevant to the brand’s millennial audience. Also new to the network is Reverse Brothers with Ayo & Teo (working title), an animated linear series that features the titular brothers facing the challenges of running the most popular pawn shop in their intergalactic universe.
In addition to turning YouTube cooking show Made From Scratch into a long-form series for its linear network, Fuse is also renewing Big Boy’s Neighborhood, Fuse Docs, T-Pain’s School of Business, Future: History, Lie Detector, Mind Massage and A Seat With….
Fuse Media Chief Content Officer J-T Ladt said: “To successfully target this highly elusive audience, we’ve needed to experiment across platforms and find innovative ways to engage viewers. We began with our Complex partnership and have seen continued season-to-season growth for Complex x Fuse, which is now in its fourth season. Continuing with this strategy, Fuse is migrating nontraditional IP that already has a built-in multicultural audience to the linear channel. For example, Big Boy’s Neighborhood is also a radio show, The Read is a podcast and Made from Scratch originated as a YouTube format.”
Jason Miller, Fuse Media’s executive VP of ad sales and integrated marketing, explained “Fuse creates opportunities for brands that authentically connect our music culture-driven content with multicultural young adult consumers, wherever our audience is accessing entertainment. The brands that consistently win with this highly sought after audience are the ones connected to stories that reflect and celebrate inclusion to build true brand relevancy.”
Ladt added: “Over the last year, the Fuse Content Studio doubled down on the creation of short-form original video, which resulted in a 250-percent increase in digital and social viewership. This allowed us to grow our brand across platforms while increasing monetization and audience engagement, and successfully incubating digital series for linear distribution.”