As nationwide protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer continue, entertainment companies like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO are weighing in to voice their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Kicked off on Saturday, May 30 — as protests were taking place across cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami — with a social media post from Netflix, other streaming services and cable networks quickly followed suit with their own statements. Netflix’s message was simple, saying, “To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter. We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.” Filmmaker Ava DuVernay applauded them with a tweet, writing simply, “Well done.”
To be silent is to be complicit.
Black lives matter.We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.
— Netflix (@netflix) May 30, 2020
Later in the day, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video posted their own messages of solidarity to their social media accounts. Starz perhaps took the furthest step of all the brands by mentioning both the NAACP and Color of Change in its statement, urging its followers to donate and show support to the two organizations. “We cannot stand silent while our Black communities continue to suffer under the weight of violence, discrimination, and injustice,” the Lionsgate-owned company wrote.
We support Black lives. Today, and every day. You are seen. You are heard. And we are with you.
— Hulu (@hulu) May 31, 2020
.@NAACP @ColorOfChange pic.twitter.com/R8v1XMjzlv
— STARZ (@STARZ) May 31, 2020
HBO, in addition to changing its Twitter display name to #BlackLivesMatter, joined the conversation later that evening with a James Baldwin quote and supportive words. “We stand with our Black colleagues, employees, fans, actors, storytellers — and all affected by senseless violence,” the WarnerMedia-owned company wrote in a tweet. HBO Max posted an identical message to their own social channels.
“Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind.” — James Baldwin
We stand with our Black colleagues, employees, fans, actors, storytellers — and all affected by senseless violence. #BlackLivesMatter
— #BlackLivesMatter (@HBO) May 31, 2020
Comedy Central added support Sunday morning, with the ViacomCBS-owned cable network posting a message endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement and calling for the end of systemic racism. “These racist and brutal attacks must end,” the network wrote. “We call for justice.” The same message was also posted by fellow ViacomCBS networks MTV, VH1, Paramount, PopTV, and TV Land.
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/9DceIFB8uU
— comedycentral (@ComedyCentral) May 31, 2020
ViacomCBS, TV Guide’s parent company, posted a message of support for Black Lives Matter on Sunday afternoon. “We stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, creators, partners, and audiences and condemn all acts of racism, discrimination, and senseless acts of violence,” the media conglomerate wrote on Twitter. CBS and CBS All Access posted identical messages.
— ViacomCBS (@ViacomCBS) May 31, 2020
ViacomCBS-owned cable network Showtime also shared a message of support on Sunday. “Black Stories Matter. Black Ideas Matter. Black Lives Matter,” the network posted.
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/4SRMLYiTPp
— Showtime (@Showtime) May 31, 2020
And cable network BET has been posting much more forceful content about the Black Lives Matter protests. The ViacomCBS-owned black-oriented network’s social media channels have been posting coverage in support of the protests all weekend on Twitter and Instagram, including sharing activist Tamika Mallory’s viral speech contextualizing looting as a form of protest and calling for criminal charges against police that kill black people.
#BlackLivesMatter! A speech that will go down in history! ❤️🙏🏽 || 🎥 @TamikaDMallory pic.twitter.com/519PWt4gxH
— BET (@BET) May 30, 2020
On Instagram, BET called on Minnesota governor Tim Waltz to assign state Attorney General Keith Ellison as special prosecutor on the George Floyd case and shared donation links to organizations supporting on the ground efforts in the fight for racial justice, petitions for legal action, a link to register to vote, and resources to learn more about police violence and systemic racism.