Fuse Media Licenses Content to Lingopie and South Africa’s Telkom SA (EXCLUSIVE)

Latino-owned Fuse Media has marked its first foray into the global media marketplace on the eve of MipTV with licensing deals to language learning platform Lingopie and South Africa-based Telkom SA.

“Today’s licensing agreements signify the early innings of Fuse Media’s global expansion,” said Fuse Media head of digital, Patrick Courtney, who added: “It is also inspiring that these companies are eager to provide their customers with content that not only engages young, multicultural viewers but also empowers underserved audiences. We are both honored and excited for Fuse to be bringing this programming to an international audience.”

Lingopie, touted as the world’s first language learning platform to use SVOD technology, is licensing over 100 hours of Fuse Media content to bolster its launch in India. These include Fuse Media’s irreverent animation-live action hybrid show “Sugar & Toys,” magic program “Hip-Hop Houdini” and “The Hollywood Puppet Show,” where marionette puppets reenact true celebrity misadventures.

The partnership comes as Lingopie has made great strides since its launch in 2019. Lingopie’s innovative language-teaching model taps original film and TV content from around the world with same-language subtitles and instant translation pop-ups.

Meanwhile, Discover Digital has licensed 70 hours of Fuse Media content for Telkom SA, a leading information and communications technology services provider in South Africa. Content featured on their SVOD platform will include Comic King Keraun Harris’ immersion in white culture, “That White People Sh*t,” doc home cooking show “Made from Scratch” and the digital original ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridien Response) interview series, “Mind Massage,” where a battery of sounds triggers stories from celebrity guests.

Fuse Media is a multicultural-focused multi-platform entertainment company with a portfolio of streaming and television brands targeted at millennial and Gen Z audiences. These brands include Fuse, Fuse Backstage, FM (Fuse Music), Fuse Sweat and fuse.tv. Fuse Media also operates the Fuse Content Studio, its in-house production and distribution arm, as well as a branded content and live events business.

Company was taken over in a management buyout in November by an all-Latino team led by Fuse Media CEO Miguel Roggero, who had been with Fuse since 2006.

Roggero, who observed the rarity of a Latino-led management team taking charge of a national media outlet, said then: “At a time when millions of Americans of all races and ethnicities are calling for more representation and servicing of underserved communities, the Fuse Media management team is taking ownership of its collective destiny. Literally.”

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