HOUSTON – Urban Edge Network has formed a new exclusive partnership with DIRECTV. The digital satellite and multichannel video platform will become the sole distributor of its new African American sports channel featuring content and programming on Urban Edge Network.  

The partnership will greatly expand our reach,” UEN co-founder and CRO Hardy L. Pelt told HBCU Legends. ” Overexposed, is the term I like to use.   This gives our partners and content partners, such as the HBCU Athletic Conference and their members, Grambling State University, and Florida Memorial University, an even more national and international platform. It will allow advertisers to see us as the number one legitimate option now in BIPOC purchases. It continues to complement our newest partner, the NAIA, and solidifies a stronger partnership with the NBA through their G league content.”

The new channel, 4161, officially launched on Thursday, Oct. 17, for DIRECTV customers via the Internet and for DIRECTV STREAM customers. Satellite customers can access the channel using the DIRECTV App.

Urban Edge Network showcases top athletic competition and commentary from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the G League, where aspiring young players look to become the stars of tomorrow, and a wide variety of women’s sports from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which represents more than 240 small colleges nationwide, among its other feature programming.

“Urban Edge Network is thrilled to announce our content distribution partnership with DIRECTV,” Hardy L. Pelt said. ” This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to ensuring Black audiences are respected and valued in the marketplace. Unlike other platforms, DIRECTV has shown a genuine interest in showcasing diverse voices and perspectives, setting a new standard for inclusion and representation in the industry. Solaos, out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, will be the black-owned technology company partnering with us to develop and deliver digital content to DirecTV.”

The new Urban Edge Network channel on DIRECTV is proud to feature a diverse range of sports offerings. HBCU Athletic Conference members will showcase women’s gymnastics from esteemed institutions such as Fisk and Wilberforce. Viewers can also look forward to NBA G League regular season action from the Texas Legends and the auxiliary events at the highly anticipated Orange Blossom Classic, including the exciting Battle of the Bands.

This season’s Florida Beach Bowl will be part of December’s end-of-year CIAA vs. SIAC football championship. Women’s sports, including soccer, volleyball, softball, and gymnastics competitions, will keep fans engaged throughout the season. Also, exclusive games featuring HBCUs during homecoming and classic weekends will surely deliver thrilling matches and memorable moments.

The UEN channel will feature the Black Sports Insiders with Kyle T. Mosley and national sports correspondents Kim Davis, Wilton C. Jackson II, Keisha J. Kelley, Ray Rogers, and Wole Askino. HBCU Podcast Network will offer Around the Block and In The Quad with Nick Eden. These new shows will be featured in the daily programming on the DIRECTV UEN channel starting December 2024.

Over the past several months, DIRECTV has grown its offering to streaming customers by adding a wide swath of channels whose audiences include sports fans, persons of color, cooking enthusiasts, and other diverse communities by offering a broader range of content choices or the ability to venture more deeply into their most avid interests.

For instance, specific to sports, DIRECTV has added the gaming and fantasy sports channel SportsGrid, the action sports channel Fuel TV, the sports nostalgia channel Origin Sports, the poker channel PokerGo, the motorsports network Racing America, and the Women’s Sports Network.

Urban Edge Network combines that sports-specific outreach with still other recent additions for often underserved audiences, including Ebony TV (a partnership between Ebony Media Group and Lionsgate), the “Are We There Yet” channel based on popular films, the Fox Soul music channel, El Rey Rebel, Somos Novelas, HerSphere, and the aforementioned Women’s Sports Network, among others.

As a leader in sports and entertainment for almost 30 years, DIRECTV provides industry-leading content, service, and user satisfaction. By reimagining what is possible, DIRECTV’s mission is to aggregate, curate, and deliver exceptional, innovative service to its customers. In 2023, DIRECTV elevated the customer experience by delivering Gemini, which can integrate customers’ content from their third-party platform subscriptions into a single one-stop digital experience.

With DIRECTV, the sports season never ends, and customers are treated to broadcasts of several major sports, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and multiple domestic and international soccer leagues. DIRECTV allows customers to watch sports, movies, and TV shows on their TVs at home or their favorite mobile devices via the DIRECTV app.

Urban Edge Network was curated to level the playing field and provide a platform for diverse voices. As part of the UEN family of brands, HBCU Plus is an ad-supported Black College Sports Network, delivering 24/7 access to live and on-demand Historically Black Colleges and Universities games, sporting events, original sports shows, curated films, podcasts, and more. The HBCU Plus app is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, iOS, and Android.