Rap moguls Sean "Diddy" Combs and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter are reportedly looking to expand into the video-on-demand business with the proposal of a new urban channel.
Both artists were spotted at Comcast’s Philadelphia-based compound last week with film execs Harvey and Bob Weinstein. A source told the paper that the pow-wow served as a getting-acquainted session and an opportunity to bounce around ideas about urban programming.
"the presence of the brothers Weinstein was twofold: since they're already acquainted with both Comcast and the rap icons, they served as a perfect conduit for the meeting. And if the project ever gets off the ground, the Weinsteins would be the money guys behind it", a source said.
While Comcast owns a 50 percent stake in the urban-themed cable channel TV One, the company currently lacks urban programming in its on-demand platform.
"Moreover, music videos are among the most popular on-demand content, and the idea is to create a VOD version of BET that skews to a younger audience. Jay-Z and Diddy would function less as operators than as magnets to attract talent to the new channel."
Both artists were spotted at Comcast’s Philadelphia-based compound last week with film execs Harvey and Bob Weinstein. A source told the paper that the pow-wow served as a getting-acquainted session and an opportunity to bounce around ideas about urban programming.
"the presence of the brothers Weinstein was twofold: since they're already acquainted with both Comcast and the rap icons, they served as a perfect conduit for the meeting. And if the project ever gets off the ground, the Weinsteins would be the money guys behind it", a source said.
While Comcast owns a 50 percent stake in the urban-themed cable channel TV One, the company currently lacks urban programming in its on-demand platform.
"Moreover, music videos are among the most popular on-demand content, and the idea is to create a VOD version of BET that skews to a younger audience. Jay-Z and Diddy would function less as operators than as magnets to attract talent to the new channel."
