The Weather Channel and Entertainment Studios - Why Our Partnership Makes Perfect Business Sense

On March 22nd, Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios acquired The Weather Group, parent company of The Weather Channel television network and Local Now, the 24/7 streaming news and information service.

As CEO, I couldn’t be more excited. Our new partnership will undoubtedly increase the value both companies bring to their viewers, distributors and advertisers.

The Weather Channel is one of the most trusted and important cable networks in America. In 2017, we had our highest rated day in our more than 35-year history and were number one in cable news during the hurricane landfalls. Entertainment Studios (ES) has a strong proven model for creating unique entertainment content and garnering widespread distribution. This partnership allows ES to expand into the increasingly important live and local news category, while providing opportunity for The Weather Channel to further expand its reach and influence in the media space.

It’s important to note that Entertainment Studios’ acquisition of The Weather Channel television network creates one of the largest minority-owned media companies in America. Together, we’ll continue to prioritize serving rural and minority communities often overlooked by large media conglomerates.

While there are undoubtedly positive changes to come, a few things will not change. Our mission and coverage have remained the same through several iterations of ownership and we look forward to continuing that under ES with even more innovation and creativity. We look forward to remaining strong partners with all of our current and future distribution, advertising, and charity partners, and our leadership will remain the same and continue to operate in the same manner.

For more than 35 years, we’ve been providing viewers with the weather-based information they want and need. And as the damage caused by storms has become increasingly more devastating, our coverage has never been more necessary.

I’m truly looking forward to our future with Entertainment Studios and seeing all that we can accomplish together.