Mansa, a streaming service founded by actor David Oyelowo, is launching its first free, ad-supported streaming TV station on The Roku Channel.
The FAST channel, dubbed Mansa Mix, offers a curated selection of films and television series that celebrate Black culture from around the globe. Since launching a year ago, Mansa has amassed a library of over 2,000 hours of content and is accessible on a growing list of distribution partners.
“Mansa is dedicated to showcasing a wide array of narratives that are authentically steeped in Black culture,” Oyelowo said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to deepen our relationship with Roku with the launch of our first FAST Channel, Mansa Mix, that elevates and celebrates the richness of the culture worldwide.”
Mansa Mix is available on Channel 301 on The Roku Channel. Mansa’s full streaming service is also available through the Roku platform.
In addition to Oyelowo, Mansa was cofounded by actors Nate Parker and Chiké Okonkwo, as well as tech entrepreneur and film financier Zak Tanjeloff.
Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and more than 400 free live linear television channels in the U.S. It licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners.
The Roku Channel is free and easily accessible via Roku devices or TVs, TheRokuChannel.com, iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TVs, Samsung TVs, Google TVs and other Android TV OS devices.
To date, Mansa has raised $9 million in seed round financing, with funding led by MaC Venture Capital with participation from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Galaxy Investment Partners, Base Ventures, Rainmaker Films, Black Capital VC, K Period Media and Robert F. Smith.
