Lionsgate has inked a deal with rapper and TV mogul Curtis 50 Cent Jackson to launch a free ad-supported channel, 50 Cent Action.
The new FAST channel will offer premium content from Lionsgates library, including the original Power series. Other action fare to land on the FAST channel from the Hollywood studios vault will include popular movies likeThe Expendables, The Hitmans BodyguardandRambo,and over a dozen films that starred Jackson.
Power, the Courtney Kemp-created series Jackson executive produced, launched a run of hits for Starz after its 2014 debut, and the resulting Power universe spawned spinoffs likeGhost and Raising Kanan. Jackson is also behind the crime dramaBMFfor Lionsgate Television and Starz. Lionsgate said it will work with Jackson to promote and curate the 50 Cent Action channel. 50 Cents movies and television series are synonymous with non-stop action, and were thrilled to extend our longstanding partnership into the FAST space, Lionsgate president of worldwide television distribution Jim Packer said in a statement on Thursday.
Jackson will partner with the Hollywood studio via his G-Unit Film and Television and G-Unit Studios banners. This channel will bring diverse, action-packed content to audiences everywhere, reflecting my passion for storytelling and providing a platform for fresh, dynamic voices. I look forward to working closely with all the FAST platforms to make this a successful channel, the rapper said in his own statement.
In The Hollywood Reporters July 31 cover story on Jackson, he touted the huge library of action movies that will be part of the roster. Ill make sure the quality of everything is there, he said. The platform has to be able to fit my original material. So youll see thePowerseries those universes will be there.BMFnow has spinoff shows coming. Give me one year and Ill be ranked the highest FAST channel.
Lionsgate has launched around two dozen FAST channels worldwide, including Ebony TV and MovieSphere. The studio sees growth potential after pointing to channels targeted at Black audiences making up just 2 percent of all available FAST channels in the U.S. market,whenAfrican Americans represent 14 percent of the U.S. population.










