Fuse Media Launching Subscription-Based Streaming Service Targeting Younger Latino Audiences

Fuse Media is entering the fray as it has revealed that it is launching its first subscription-based streaming service, Fuse+, this week in beta. The service will cost $1.99 monthly, or a yearly subscription can be purchased for $19.99. The platform will launch with 500 hours of content, with more programming being added over time. The service is also said to include advertisements, although on a small scale.

Fuse has had a long and winding road since it debuted as MuchMusic USA in 1994. It relaunched as Fuse in 2003, doubling down on music with an aim to capture the MTV audience alienated after the channel left music videos behind. The company merged with NuvoTV in 2015, before eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2019.

In November, the company became a Latino-owned and managed company. Shortly afterward, Fuse signaled its plans to target English-speaking Latino and multi-cultural viewers with services geared towards that community. Late last year, CEO Miguel “Mike” Roggero said the company’s mission to provide content for an audience that he felt is often overlooked.

“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. Only through ownership can Latino and other minorities reach our true potential,” Roggero said.

According to Marc Leonard, head of content and marketing, “This audience has been underserved forever. We launched 17 years ago and very little has changed in the representation of this audience in big media since.”

Fuse has a small crew of between 100 and 125 employees, mostly based in the Los Angeles area. The company has been profitable thanks to affiliate fees for its linear TV channel, along with ad fees. Viewer subscriptions will be a brand new source of income for the company, although Fuse is no longer a stranger to streaming content.

The company already runs three free, ad-supported streaming services: the music-focused Fuse Backstage and Fuse Beat, as well as Fuse Sweat, an 80’s themed home fitness channel. All three can be streamed for free on Xumo.

“The younger audiences have just been adopting different platforms,” Romero said. “We want to put our content where our audience wants to be, and that has quickly become streaming.”

Fuse’s linear channel is available on AT&T TV, Sling TV and Fubo TV. You can also find the Fuse app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.