CBS Television Studios and NAACP announce multi-year partnership

CBS Television Studios and the NAACP have announced a multi-year partnership

CBS Television Studios and the NAACP have agreed to a multi-year partnership dedicated to creating content focused on diverse voices. The two companies released a statement yesterday outlining the deal, which addresses both the development of content, as well as the company structure for identifying and fostering emerging talent.

According to the statement, “As part of the agreement, CBS Television Studios’ creative leaders will work with the civil rights organization to establish a dedicated team of executives and infrastructure to acquire, develop and produce programming. The partnership will focus on producing premium content that expands the number of diverse voices contributing to an ever-evolving society, and by telling inclusive stories that increase the visibility and impact of Black artists in a growing media landscape.”

The move comes a month after ViacomCBS executives pledged $5 million to social justice causes amid massive nationwide protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said of the partnership, “In this moment of national awakening, the time has never been better to further tell stories of the African American experience. Programming and content have the power to shape perspectives and drive conversations around critical issues. This partnership with CBS allows us to bring compelling and important content to a broad audience.”

George Cheeks, President and CEO of CBS Entertainment Group, emphasized that the partnership will be a learning opportunity for the studio. “An important way to diversify and grow our storytelling is to expand our horizons beyond the traditional studio-producer system,” he said. “There is no better partner than the NAACP - the preeminent civil rights organization in our country - to help us find, develop and tell these inclusive stories. At the same time, this is a strategic opportunity for CBS to build upon as well as re-imagine our pipeline for existing and emerging creative talent.”

Keeping in line with ViacomCBS’s overall strategy, the CBS and NAACP agreement will cover both content for CBS, as well as content that can be sold to third-party platforms.