Television Entrepreneur Byron Allen Files Lawsuit Against Comcast And Time Warner Cable

Television entrepreneur Byron Allen  Files $20 Billion  Lawsuit 

BHR Hollywood Reports......Television entrepreneur Byron Allen has filed a $20 billion lawsuit against Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable. He is citing racial discrimination.

Allen filed the suit Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of his television production and distribution company Entertainment Studios.

 He claims the cable giants have halted his attempts at securing distribution its small networks on cable systems owned by Comcast and TWC.

"100% African American–owned media has been shut out by Comcast," the lawsuit states.

Byron Allen And Wife Jennifer Lucas

"Of the approximately $11 billion in channel carriage fees that Comcast pays to license television channels each year, less than $3 million is paid to 100% African American–owned media."

Allen believes Comcast's lack of action is a civil rights violation, but the company is calling his allegations "frivolous" as they've been in "good faith negotiations" with Allen for several years.

    

Rev. Al Sharpton

"We are proud of our outstanding record supporting and fostering diverse programming, including programming from African American owned and controlled cable channels," Comcast said in a statement on Monday.

"We currently carry more than 100 networks geared toward diverse audiences, including multiple networks owned or controlled by minorities."

Rev. Al Sharpton, the NAACP and the Urban League have also been named as defendants in the suit.
 Allen alleges all parties have received contributions from Comcast, including as much as $3.8 million "in donations and as salary for [Sharpton's] on-screen television hosting position on MSNBC."

The First Family Sitcom

The suit comes nearly three months after Allen's company filed a separate racial discrimination suit against AT&T Corp. for $10 billion. That case is still pending.

Allen's Entertainment Studios, formed in 1993, has produced programs such as "Comics Unleashed," "Mr. Box Office" and "The First Family." The company also houses digital channels such as Justice Central, Cars.TV and Comedy.TV.