Originally published on Nielsen Insights

The role of Black-owned media has continued to evolve in the nearly 200 years since Freedom’s Journal–the first Black owned and operated newspaper in the U.S.–went to print. Today, the need for trusted voices to herald the issues, trends and triumphs of Black America remains clear. After the reckoning of 2020, brands and advertisers acknowledged Black-owned media as an integral missing piece in their efforts to not only reach, but to advocate for Black communities.

Nielsen research shows that Black audiences are driving demand for content where their identity is represented on screen. And Black-owned media plays an important part in providing representative content to the diverse Black community. But even with a 27% reach among Black viewers, historically, Black-owned outlets have not always been a part of the media plans designed to reach Black consumers.

Munson Steed, CEO of Steed Media Group, is one of today’s most trusted storytellers in the Black community. The multimedia conglomerate includes print, digital, events and its multimedia news platform, Rolling Out.

Steed joined Nielsen’s VP of Diverse Insights and Partnerships, Charlene Polite Corley, to discuss the impact of diverse-owned media and how brands and advertisers can benefit from working with Black-owned media. Watch the conversation to learn about:

• Why it’s important to invest in Black-owned media as a way of investing in the health and wealth of the Black community (starting at 1:33)
• How brands can benefit from working with Black-owned media and Black-targeted media (starting at 7:30)
• Leveraging social media and digital platforms to better engage and serve the Black community (starting at 11:58)

Learn more in our Diverse-Owned Media Audience Reach and Profiles report.

Nielsen

Nielsen

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