GroupM strikes deal with A+E to secure sponsorships for diverse programming

“Across media and entertainment, projects can be slow to get off the ground. With brands’ additional funding to support minority-owned production companies, we’re able to expedite the production and amplification of critically important stories from diverse storytellers,” said Chet Fenster, chief content officer, programming and strategy, GroupM Motion Entertainment, North America.

Under the partnership, A+E’s content opportunities—for its platforms including A&E, Lifetime and The History Channel—will have to meet GroupM’s DE&I standards.

“For us, what’s really important is who's behind the camera and giving more opportunities in that realm because we know when that happens, it cascades down, not just through the crew, but also through the types of stories that are being told,” Fenster said of the agency’s standards for diverse content.

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This is the second such type of deal GroupM has struck with a media company. 

Warner Bros. Discovery, which has formed an entire dedicated team tasked with helping brands better connect with multicultural audiences, launched the diverse voices accelerator program with GroupM Motion Entertainment in March.

Domino’s is one brand that has been brought in already to A+E’s content through GroupM’s Diverse Voices Accelerator, said Peter Olsen, president of ad sales for A+E Networks.  

As a founding partner of the diverse voices accelerator program with A+E, Domino’s sponsored The History Channel’s “761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers” documentary last month, which was produced by Revelations Entertainment, the production company founded by actor Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, his business partner. The documentary highlights the first Black tank unit to serve in combat during World War II, and the major battles they faced overseas and at home in the U.S. with racism.

“Domino’s has made a continued commitment to champion diverse creators through partnerships like this one,” said Kate Trumbull, the pizza chain’s chief brand officer. “We’re proud to continue our media investment as an extension of the brand’s overarching mission to drive equity in entertainment. And it’s really to support diverse voices and stories.”