January 16, 2023
- America’s ONLY English Language ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER Entertainment TV Network launching through SPECTRUM TV®SELECT PLAN beginning January 22nd; rollout in 41 states; Channel 147 in NYC and Los Angeles (and other markets)
- ChimeTV is First Asian American and Woman Owned TV Network in American history
- ChimeTV will launch with a robust mix of modern general entertainment AAPI programming – over 70% of which is new to US TV audiences – including dramas, comedy, procedurals, food, travel, lifestyle, wellness, news, mixed martial arts, and digital creator content.
Faith Bautista, Founder and CEO of ChimeTV didn’t own a TV as a child growing up in the Philippines. When she was eight years old, she remembers looking through the window of her neighbor’s house to watch television for the first time. Fast forward to today, five decades later, and after spending two decades advocating for the voiceless and working collectively for greater financial equality and empowerment for underserved group, Faith is the first Asian American woman to ever own and operate a television network. Said Faith Bautista, Founder and CEO of ChimeTV: “As the only female Asian American TV Network owner and CEO, I pledge to work diligently to open the door for the AAPI creative community. We, particularly women, are vastly underrepresented and even inappropriately portrayed in movies, on TV screens, and behind the camera.”
ChimeTV will host a spectacular launch event on January 21, 2023 at 5pm at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA. There will be prominent US government officials, representatives from embassies, celebrities, AAPI influencers, producers, advertisers, and media from around the country. If you are interested in attending, please email chimetvevents@chimetv.co
Bob Rose, ChimeTV President said: “We applaud Spectrum TV for its commitment to open a channel for a network that will galvanize Asian American Pacific Islander audiences, serving as the leading voice, authority, purveyor of content that portrays the richness and brilliance of Asian and Pacific Islander experiences and cultures, which, until now, has been vastly underrepresented in American media today.”
- Asian-Americans’ disposable income was up 314% before Covid-19, yet, until now, there has been no cable television network, delivered in English, available to entertain the community and provide a TV pipeline for advertisers. “Asian Americans represent the fastest growing ethnic group in America,” NielsenIQ global marketing vice president Mariko Carpenter told CNN Business during a pair of recent interviews. “Population-wise, we almost doubled.”
- Below are some statistics that support this statement pulled from a study called ‘The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders across 1,300 Popular Films’ published by USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. ‘The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders across 1,300 Popular Films‘ key findings:
- Of the 1,300 top-grossing films from 2007-2019, only 44 depicted an AAPI lead or co-lead
- Of those 44 films with AAPI leads or co-leads, only 6 were female
- Of those 1,300 top-grossing films, only 3.5% had AAPI directors
- The Asian American population is over 7% in the US – and growing rapidly. Yet, the share of TV screens, notably in cable TV, is 2.7%. ChimeTV is coming to solve this problem and give the Asian Pacific Islanders a much stronger space in the US media.
Ms. Bautista acknowledges she has been angered and saddened over the growing problem of Asian hate in America. Nearly 3 in 4 (74%) AAPI women report experiencing racism and/or discrimination over the past twelve months). She has been a victim herself. This has helped inspire the creation of ChimeTV. Faith believes the more Americans are exposed to the faces and brilliant stories of people who look different from them, the sooner society will naturally evolve toward inclusivity.
Ms. Bautista’s own comments from one attack: “This Asian American is here to stay. Sometimes, a reminder of why we are celebrating the Asian Heritage Month every May comes in the form of irony. One day, I was with Taka, my husband at our favorite bagel place in Marina del Rey, CA. I was outside waiting for him to get our orders, doing my stretching exercises when a man shouted telling me to stop. ‘What’s wrong with what I’m doing?” I replied. He told me something that has no place in this great country of ours: ‘You Asians….You should go back to China!’ “
ABOUT FAITH BAUTISTA
Faith also serves as the CEO of the National Diversity Coalition, an organization of community organizers, faith-based leaders, nonprofit directors, and business owners advocating for the voiceless and working collectively for greater financial equality and empowerment for underserved groups. She also currently serves on advisory boards of the FCC, CDFI, PG&E, Charter Communications, T-Mobile, City of San Diego and Frontier Communications, First Republic Bank, Royal Business Bank. Remove California utilities, and diversity council, and Filipino American Chambers of Commerce.
ABOUT CHIMETV
ChimeTV’s programming celebrates Asian Excellence in front of and behind the camera through a potent curation of the best representational content from all over the world. ChimeTV will launch with a robust mix of modern general entertainment programming – over 70% of which is new to US TV audiences – including dramas, comedy, procedurals, food, travel, lifestyle, wellness, news, mixed martial arts, and digital creator content. ChimeTV will launch with a weekly half hour original, Owning A Piece of America hosted by founder Faith Bautista and premiering Sundays at 3pm et, as the channel scales up a diverse mix of original programming, while running new and iconic acquired series as well as award winning and fan favorite movies. ChimeTV was born out of a necessity to give a real voice to a minority group that has contributed significantly to the American social fabric and economy, but woefully is underrepresented. Our mission is to use the power of TV to break down barriers, bring people together and show the impact, positivity, creativity and most importantly, the reality and love of Asian American Pacific American culture. We are here for the long run and will be instrumental in spreading the power of a diverse culture.
AVAILABILITY
ChimeTV will be carried in SPECTRUM TV®SELECT PLAN in 41 states and will be available to every customer and on channel 147 in New York, Los Angeles and many of the markets Spectrum serves. By March 1, ChimeTV will be available as a premium streaming service through WatchChimeTV.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Bob Rose brose@chimetv.com
Go to chimetv.co for more information