Fuse is an American

pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...

channel launched in 1994 which was originally dedicated to music. After merging with the Latino-oriented NuvoTV in 2015, Fuse shifted its focus to general entertainment and lifestyle programming targeting multicultural young adults. As of February 2015, Fuse was available to approximately 71,491,000 pay television households (61.4% of households with television) in the United States. With a number of cable operators, including major providers such as Verizon Fios, discontinuing their carriage since 2015, it currently has an availability of around 38 million pay television households.

History

As MuchMusic USA

The channel originally launched on July 1, 1994, as MuchMusic USA; it was founded as a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

between Rainbow Media (currently known as

AMC Networks AMC Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York. AMC Networks owns and operates the eponymous cable channel and its siblings, IFC, We TV, and Sundance TV; the art house movie theater IFC ...

), a division of New York-based

Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its e ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

-based CHUM Limited. CHUM would later sell its 50% stake in the network to Cablevision in 2000, but allowed the continued use of the "MuchMusic" name under a brand licensing agreement. The channel suffered from a lack of carriage; outside of Cablevision's own systems and others (such as the now-defunct PrimeStar), not many providers carried the network. Beginning in 1996, Rainbow began an effort to add U.S-produced original programming and music video blocks to the network. Certain Cablevision systems in major markets also experimented with locally oriented music countdown shows, typically produced in cooperation with a local radio station (such as Cablevision's Boston system producing the ''MuchMusic Boston Countdown'' together with radio station WFNX). In 1998, the network also began to be included in a sub-unit of Rainbow focused upon live pay-per-view events taking place at New York's world-famous Radio City Music Hall and

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

(both also owned by Cablevision's founding Dolan family), ''Radio City Networks''. By 2001, MuchMusic USA began to diverge from its Canadian parent; it introduced a new logo identifying itself as MMUSA, and began to air its own original programming and music video blocks, often featuring user-submitted videos; the network's new direction centered around viewer interactivity via the Internet, with the "mmusa.tv" website being the focal point of the interaction. Carriage of the network began to expand with the rise of

digital cable Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previ ...

, with Time Warner Cable and

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

beginning to carry the channel around this time.

As Fuse

2003–2013

After CHUM revoked its licensing agreement for the U.S. channel to use the MuchMusic brand, Cablevision and Time Warner announced that it would relaunch MMUSA as Fuse in 2003; Fuse would officially relaunch on May 19, 2003. The channel indirectly bashed

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

with a slogan touting Fuse as the channel "where the music went." Fuse's advertising in this period, by New York-based

Amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...

, generated controversy both through its more direct criticism of MTV, and through its parodies, particularly that of the iPod ad campaign. Viacom, corporate owner of MTV and, for a short while, the former owner of many of Fuse's current sister properties, protested when a Fuse billboard appeared across from its headquarters featuring

Sally Struthers Sally Anne Struthers (born July 28, 1947) is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton) on ''All in the Family'', for which she won two Emm ...

' plea to "save the music video." In 2008, Fuse became the exclusive television partner for some major music events, including signing a three-year deal to air the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. In April 2010,

's MSG unit, including Fuse, was spun off as a separate publicly traded company,

The Madison Square Garden Company Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (also known as MSG Sports) is an American sports holding company based in New York City. MSG Sports manages professional sports teams. These include the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks a ...

. On June 20, 2010, Fuse simulcast the

2010 MuchMusic Video Awards The 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at MuchMusic's headquarters on 20 June 2010. Along with the MuchMusic VJ's, it was confirmed on the MuchMusic website that Miley Cyrus will co-host the show. The artists with ...

, marking its first broadcast of MuchMusic programming since its relaunch. Other MuchMusic programming would return in 2011, including '' The Wedge'' and '' Video on Trial'' (which would also gain an American version). Blink-182 and former +44 singer/bassist

Mark Hoppus Mark Allan Hoppus (born March 15, 1972) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist for the rock band Blink-182, being the only constant member and the only one to appear on every album ...

began hosting his own weekly television series on Fuse that year, titled ''

Hoppus on Music ''Hoppus On Music'', previously titled ''A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus'', is a talk show hosted by Blink-182 and +44 singer/bassist Mark Hoppus. The show premiered on September 16, 2010, on Fuse, and lasted until June 2012. The show formerly ...

''. On June 28, 2011, Vevo and Fuse entered into a video syndication and content partnership. As part of the partnership, Fuse.tv syndicates Vevo's music video and entertainment programming, including exclusive music video premieres, live music events, and originally produced series. In the fall of 2012, Fuse refocused itself with a new on-air branding campaign created by design agency LoyalKaspar, with its website now featuring trending music news stories. That winter, Fuse launched a

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

for Android and iOS devices. In November 2012, Fuse announced the launch of ''Fuse News'', a daily news update program which debuted in February 2013.

2013–2019

In March 2013, anonymous sources leaked news that MSG was planning to sell all or part of Fuse, as the network had been struggling, and was facing growing competition from digital outlets. On April 4, 2014, MSG and SiTV Media, the parent company of the Latino-oriented entertainment network NuvoTV, announced that SiTV would acquire Fuse for $226 million. SiTV outbid rival network Revolt, which had made a $200 million offer to acquire Fuse. As part of the deal, the Madison Square Garden Company would take a 15% stake in SiTV. Prior to the official announcement, Benny Medina (manager of Jennifer Lopez, the network's chief creative officer) stated that if SiTV were to acquire Fuse, there were no immediate plans to make any major changes to the network's programming, emphasizing that Fuse and NuvoTV would be "two different companies with two different identities, audiences and goals." However, on May 1, ''Fuse News'' was cancelled with immediate effect, with the entire staff let go, along with other cuts throughout the network. The acquisition was completed on July 1, 2014. In March 2015, Fuse announced its would expand beyond music programming and merge with NuvoTV. A new programming slate was announced, including ''White Guy Talk Show'', a

late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show popular in the United States, where the format originated. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It i ...

hosted by

Grace Parra Grace Parra Janney (born June 27, 1984) is an American screenwriter, presenter, and actress who was a contributor on ''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore''. Career Born in Houston, Texas, she moved to New York City to attend Columbia Uni ...

and Saurin Choksi, which debuted on March 2, 2015; and, debuting on April 9, ''Skee TV'', hosted by DJ Skee, featuring interviews and live performances. In addition, the newly rebranded parent company, Fuse Media, announced the launch of a new music channel focusing on "up-and-coming, young, diverse talent". The new channel, FM, would later launch on September 30, 2015, replacing NuvoTV. In April 2015, Fuse became the exclusive broadcaster of

Legends Football League The Extreme Football League (X League) is an American women's semi-professional tackle football league. The league was originally founded in 2009 as the Lingerie Football League (LFL), and later rebranded as the Legends Football League in 2013. ...

games in the United States. On July 31, 2015, Fuse announced they would relaunch with a new logo and branding on September 30, 2015. In addition to new series such as '' Transcendent'', which documents the lives of

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

women at AsiaSF Cabaret & Restaurant in San Francisco, and ''Revealed'', which features music videos, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage of artists at work, Fuse announced a multi-year partnership with comedian Gabriel Iglesias for additional new programming and comedy specials. In November 2017, a partnership between Complex and Fuse was announced in which Fuse will air a block of Complex digital series under the ''Complex x Fuse'' banner. The block premiered on November 10, 2017. Towards the end of 2018, both

and

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...

announced that Fuse and FM would be dropped from Xfinity and Fios on January 1, 2019, reasoning that the networks' lack of viewership and Fuse's

channel drift Channel drift or network decay is the gradual shift of a television network away from its original programming, to either target a newer and more profitable audience, or to broaden its viewership by including less niche programming. Often, this ...

towards a sitcom and film repeat-heavy lineup did not justify continued carriage of the networks. Then-Fuse Media CEO Michael Schwimmer made the claim the networks were being dropped as Comcast's Department of Justice consent decree for their acquisition was relaxed regarding channel diversity and a commitment to independent channel operators, giving them an out from carrying the network. In reality, the decree remains in full effect and Fuse's ''de facto'' replacement, TV One sister network Cleo TV, launched broadly on Comcast systems on January 19 under the same decree. In April 2019, Fuse's parent company, Fuse Media, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing its lost coverage on Comcast and Verizon systems, as well as defaulting on a loan. On September 3, 2019, a Fuse-branded channel was launched on Pluto TV.

2020–present

On November 19, 2020, current Fuse Media CEO Miguel Roggero and a "Latino-led management group" announced that they have acquired majority interest in the company. In March 2021, Fuse Media announced the launch of a new streaming division, merging the network's website, social media, and digital video outlets with new branded free ad-supported television (FAST) channels. That summer, Fuse Media launched a subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, "Fuse+", in beta. In December 2021, Comcast reached a renewed carriage agreement with Fuse Media, bringing Fuse and FM back to its cable service after 3 years, and also extending distribution of Fuse+ to its X1 and Flex

set-top box A set-top box (STB), also colloquially known as a cable box and historically television decoder, is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner input and displays output to a television set and an external source of s ...

es.

Programming

Original programming currently seen on Fuse consists of lifestyle, reality, and documentary programming. After merging with NuvoTV and launching FM in September 2015, Fuse would slowly scale down its music-based programming. Through its ''Fuse Presents'' series, the network has previously hosted live concerts from various venues, primarily from those owned by MSG.

Former on-air staff

Music blocks

* Esteban Serrano – host of ''Top 20 Countdown'' * Katie van Buren – host of ''Top 20 Countdown'' * Timothy Dunn – host of ''Got Ur #'' * Yasmine Richard – host of ''Top 20 Countdown'' and ''Trending 10''

Entertainment and music shows

* ''Trending 10'', hosted by Dan Brown and Zuri Hall * ''Fuse Top 20 Countdown'', hosted by

Juliya Chernetsky Juliya Chernetsky Denning ( uk, Юлія Чернецька, ''Yulia Chernetska''; born July 10, 1982), is a television personality best known for her stage name Mistress Juliya and the popularity on the music-themed network Fuse. She also h ...

and

Allison Hagendorf Allison Hagendorf (born November 14, 1979) is a television personality and music journalist, known for hosting the New Year's Eve broadcast from Times Square from 2012 to 2019. She is also the Global Head of Rock for Spotify Spotify (; ) is ...

* ''

Cee Lo Green Cee or CEE may refer to: * C, third letter of the Latin alphabet * Cee, Spain, A Coruña, Galicia * Center for Excellence in Education, US * Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe is a term encompassing the countries in the ...

* Talking to Strangers'' * ''

'', hosted by

* ''Hip Hop Shop'' and ''On the Record'', hosted by Touré

Fuse News

* Matte Babel – host of ''Fuse News'' * Alexa Chung – host of ''Fuse News'' * Georgie Okell – host of ''Fuse News'' * Elaine Moran – host of ''Fuse News'' and ''Trending 10'' * Jack Osbourne – host of ''Fuse News''

Related services

AVOD channels

This is a list of free, ad-supported channels available on the Fuse website and several third-party AVOD services. *Fuse Sweat - Focuses on exercise videos from the 1980s and 1990s. Launched on March 25, 2021. *Fuse Backstage - Features documentaries focusing on musicians and entertainers. Launched on March 25, 2021. *Fuse Beat - Primarily features entertainment and lifestyle programming targeted towards an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

audience. Launched on May 11, 2021.Black-Culture Channel Fuse Beat To Launch with Twentyone14, Cinedigm , Broadcasting+Cable