As part of its arrangement to acquire a minority interest in NBCUniversal, Comcast Corporation committed to carry several minority-owned networks.[1] The arrangement followed pressure led by Maxine Waters in congressional hearings.[2]
In April 2011, Comcast solicited proposals for minority-owned networks.[3] In February 2012, Comcast announced distribution arrangements for four networks, including Revolt.[4] The four announced networks and six forthcoming stations were being chosen from among in excess of 100 proposals to begin airing by 2020.[5]
AT&T U-verse added the SD channel on July 27, 2015, and the HD channel on November 24, 2015. DirecTV added it on December 24, 2015.[7]
Expansion
On 18 October 2019, Ziggo announced that it would launch a Dutch version of Revolt on 1 November 2019. Its programming would consist of interviews, news, hip-hop documentaries, live events, and music videos.[8][9] The first months of broadcast the US version of the channel would be shown with a 6-hour delay; from January 2020, Dutch programmes would also be broadcast. The Dutch channel was a collaboration between Revolt US, Dutch record label TopNotch, and AreaMedia.[10] On 1 February 2021, the Dutch version was closed after less than a year.[11]
In Canada, Revolt would be part of the launch lineup of Live TV service RiverTV on June 4, 2020.[12]
On November 28, 2023, Combs would take a leave of absence amidst sexual assault lawsuits;[13] it is also unclear when he will return to the company.[13] By this point in time, Combs was not involved with the company's day-to-day operations.[13] In March 2024, Combs sold his stake in Revolt to an anonymous buyer.[14]
Revolt Films is a separate entity from the network, using the same name for brand association. It specializes in developing, producing, and financing films and original television content. Its first full-length feature film was Lawless (released in 2012, one year before Revolt television went to air).[16][17] Other credits include Dope (2015).[18]
