Fuse is an American

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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 economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...

between Rainbow Media (currently known as AMC Networks), a division of New York-based Cablevision 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 Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHU ...

. 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 PrimeStar was a U.S. direct broadcast satellite broadcasting company formed in 1991 by a consortium of cable television system operators ( TCI Satellite Entertainment Group, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Comcast and MediaOne) and GE A ...

), 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 (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, with

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, operat ...

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

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. In April 2010, Cablevision's

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unit, including Fuse, was spun off as a separate publicly traded company, The Madison Square Garden Company. On June 20, 2010, Fuse simulcast the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards, 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 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...

and former +44 singer/bassist Mark Hoppus began hosting his own weekly television series on Fuse that year, titled '' Hoppus on Music''. 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 for Android and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

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 Benny Medina (born January 24, 1958) is an American record executive, talent manager, and television producer. Early life and education Medina was born in East Los Angeles, California, of Dominican parents into a poor family. The death of hi ...

(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 hosted by Grace Parra and Saurin Choksi, which debuted on March 2, 2015; and, debuting on April 9, ''Skee TV'', hosted by

DJ Skee Scott Keeney (born 15 November 1983), better known by his stage name DJ Skee, is an American artist, television host, radio personality, and entrepreneur. Skee rose to fame as the first DJ to discover and play superstar artists on the radio incl ...

, 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 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

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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 Gabriel Jesús Iglesias (born July 15, 1976), also known as Fluffy, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has produced a number of stand-up specials for television outlets such as Comedy Central and Netflix, including ''I'm Not Fat… ...

for additional new programming and comedy specials. In November 2017, a partnership between

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

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 Comcast 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 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

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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 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whet ...

, 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 Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United S ...

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 Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

(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 boxes.

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

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and

Zuri Hall Zuri Hall (born June 2, 1988) is an American entertainment reporter, television personality, actress and producer. Hall serves as a correspondent for ''Access Hollywood'' on NBC. She is also the sideline reporter for NBC's primetime summer comp ...

* ''Fuse Top 20 Countdown'', hosted by Juliya Chernetsky and Allison Hagendorf * '' Cee Lo Green * Talking to Strangers'' * '' Hoppus on Music'', hosted by Mark Hoppus * ''Hip Hop Shop'' and ''On the Record'', hosted by Touré

Fuse News

* Matte Babel – host of ''Fuse News'' *

Alexa Chung Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983) is a British television presenter, model, internet personality, writer, and fashion designer. She wrote the book ''It'' (2013). Her fashion label Alexa Chung, stylized , launched in May 2017 and closed in 2022 ...

– host of ''Fuse News'' * Georgie Okell – host of ''Fuse News'' * Elaine Moran – host of ''Fuse News'' and ''Trending 10'' *

Jack Osbourne Jack Joseph Osbourne (born 8 November 1985) is an English media personality with dual American and British citizenship. The son of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, he starred on MTV's reality series '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005), along w ...

– 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

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