Entertainment Studios, Inc., (www.es.tv) one of the largest independent producers and distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations, and owner of seven 24-hour HD cable television networks (PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV,CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, and JUSTICECENTRAL.TV), proudly announces its acquisition of theNew York-based African-American focused digital news platform TheGrio (www.TheGrio.com).
TheGrio – which means 'storyteller' in Africa – is a digital video-centric news community platform providing compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national media outlets. TheGrio's editorial mandate is focused on breaking news, opinion, politics, business, entertainment, health, sports, and events that have a unique interest and/or pronounced impact within the African-American community. TheGrio generates 3 million unique visitors per month, in addition to reaching a highly-engaged social media audience.
"We are excited to have TheGrio join Byron Allen's ever-expanding Entertainment Studios media empire," saysDavid A. Wilson, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of TheGrio. "Byron shares our vision of growing TheGrio into the leading video content creator and distribution platform for African-Americans. We look forward to developing the next iteration of TheGrio, and the fact that it will remain 100 percent African American-owned is very significant."
"David Wilson and his founding partner Dan Woolsey have done an incredible job these past 7 years building TheGrio, and we are one thousand percent committed to continue expanding this digital news community's reach across all global media platforms, including our broadcast television syndication programs, cable television networks, and motion picture division," said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios. "We plan on investing heavily in digital publishing, and TheGrio has an excellent management team, making it the perfect asset to start our portfolio of online publishing."
At its annual E3 press conference today, Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (SIEA) debuted a line-up of premier content for PlayStation®4 (PS4™), including Days Gone (SIE Bend Studio), Spider-Man (Insomniac Games), LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens™ (TT Games and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment), God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio),DEATH STRANDING (Kojima Productions), FINAL FANTASY® XV (Square Enix), RESIDENT EVIL® 7 biohazard(Capcom Co.), and many more.
SIEA also announced the North American launch date of October for PlayStation®VR (PS VR), a virtual reality system that takes PS4 to the next level of immersion. Along with the launch date announcement, SIEA unveiled a breadth of unique PS VR experiences, including Farpoint (Impulse Gear), Star Wars™ Battlefront™: X-Wing VR Mission (Electronic Arts), and Batman™: Arkham VR (RockSteady and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment).
"PlayStation's heritage has been built around innovation and ground-breaking gaming experiences, and today's reveals of new PS4 and PS VR content speaks to our continued commitment to this evolution of gaming," saidShawn Layden, President of SIEA and Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios. "From the reimagining of God of Warto the brand new world of Days Gone, this E3 marks one of the best content line-ups in PlayStation history. With the launch of PS VR on the horizon, innovation also has never been stronger at PlayStation, as developers, from smaller independent teams to larger studios, have been able to quickly leverage the technology and create unique experiences that truly embody VR's potential."
