Hurricane Byron

Inspired By The Be 100s, Comedian-turned-mogul Byron Allen Has Created A Media Empire By Transforming How Audiences Consume Content. Now With His $300 Million Acquisition Of The Weather Channel, His Entertainment Studios Is Literally Taking The Industry By Storm

- Derek T. Dingle

WHETHER IT’S A HURRICANE THAT HITS CITIES along the Gulf Coast or a blizzard blanketing the Midwest, 70 million viewers religiously tune in to The Weather Channel to get round-the-clock updates, information on the areas where loved ones are located, and tips to keep their families out of harm’s way. With its continuous coverage of natural disasters in recent years, from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 to the overwhelming loss of life and property caused by the triple threat of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria last year, the network had been designated “The TV News Brand of the Year’’ for eight straight years by the Harris Poll.

On March 22, 2018, an announcement about the network’s future had all the historic impact of a tsunami. A force of nature in the media world, Byron Allen created shockwaves with his acquisition of The Weather Group, the network’s parent company, for a whopping $300 million from mammoth private equity firm The Blackstone Group, global investment firm Bain Capital, and monolithic Comcast/NBC Universal. As such, the transaction continues the transformation of Allen’s Entertainment Studios (ES), which has grown from a single nationally syndicated TV show into a global juggernaut.

“The Weather Channel is a very unique asset. It’s the perfect asset for us and who we are,” asserts Allen. “It’s the largest cable network not owned by a conglomerate. It’s a cash cow that makes hundreds of millions of dollars. And it is the only cable network that protects and saves lives.”