Whoopi Goldberg-backed BLKFAM Launches Black-Focused Family Streaming Service

BLKFAM, a free streaming service backed by Whoopi Goldberg, has announced its launch.

The pioneering Black-focused family streaming service will entertain, educate, and celebrate Black audiences through authentic, inclusive content. WarnerMedia veteran Larry Adams founded Blkfam, and Whoopi Goldberg joined as an equity investor and creative force.

Adams says the idea for Blkfam came while realizing that significant streaming services like Netflix and Max were not adequately serving the Black family audience. 

He remembered scrolling through the Black Voices section of one service and noting that “it was kind of like a grab bag. It felt like you have rows and rows of Black voices, but a lot of it wasn’t curated for my family.”

A Nielsen report revealed Black Americans spend more time with media than “any other U.S. population.” Black American consumers are “more likely than the general population to access three or more streaming services… and 73% of this group pays for three or more streaming services, well above the average of 60% across all audiences.”

“When I was developing the HBO Max go-to-market strategy,” Adams stated, “we identified that families are — from a business perspective — the ones on multiple streaming services. Most people will have one or two, but families will have up to eight, especially as we move to an unbundled world. You’ll need many different types of content sources for folks, and I realized no one’s addressing Black family streamers. We need curated content that is OK to watch alone but certainly able to watch together.”

More About BLKFAM

Blkfam will launch with about 1,000 hours of content, including 20 syndicated series, with ten original animated and live-action shows in development, per Adams. There will also be news, fitness, and wellness programming.

The company has teamed up with content partners Playwatch Kids and Candle Media’s ATTN to deliver educational shows like “Kembe,” “Gabby Galactic and the Orbiteens” and “12th Street,” among others.

The founder considers the platform the first Black-owned and Black-focused family streaming service. BLKFAM is currently free and ad-supported. However, Adams says that besides more traditional commercial spots, he hopes to integrate brands into content as co-producers.

“Let’s get your values articulated in a piece of content that’s new and entertaining and allows us to greenlight something impossible,” Adams says.

What Whoopi Goldberg is bringing to BLKFAM

Goldberg stands alongside Whoop, Inc. President Tom Leonardis as Equity Partners. “I’m excited to be involved with BLKFAM from the ground floor,” Goldberg said in a statement provided to TechCrunch. 

“I’m proud to be a part of something my great-grandkids can enjoy and see characters who look like them onscreen, created by people who look like them, for them.”

“Tactically, what she brings to the table is a deep understanding of how great content gets done, but more so, she has actual IP that she’s been working on,” Adams says. 

“She’s got a book series that we will bring to life; she’s got show ideas — she’s also a great arbiter of taste on what should be showing up on the platform. So she’s bringing her expertise entertainment across multiple kinds of categories.”

BLKFAM is available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung Smart TVs, Vizio, LG, and iOS and Android devices.

Main Image: Whoopi Goldberg by Deshaun Craddick