ViacomCBS & 4Music Among UK Broadcasting Networks To Go Dark In Tribute To George Floyd

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Channel 4’s 4Music, ViacomCBS channels and ITV are among the TV and radio networks in the UK that will go dark in tribute to George Floyd.

The action, which has a number of monikers on social media including #BlackOutTuesday and #TheShowMustBePaused, sprung up in the music industry and is now being embraced by broadcasting networks and streamers, including Amazon.

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The blackout is a message of solidarity in response to the death of Floyd on May 25. Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder in relation to the incident, which has sparked days of fraught protests across America.

Channel 4’s 4Music channel said it will pause content every hour on television and social on Tuesday “to show solidarity with our colleagues, viewers, artists, on screen talent and all people of colour.”

On Monday, ViacomCBS announced plans to switch off its entertainment and youth brands, including MTV and Comedy Central, for 8 minutes and 46 seconds (marking the time in which Floyd was killed) at 5PM in the U.S. Similar plans have been drawn up in the UK, where the likes of MTV UK will cease broadcasting at 7PM on Wednesday.

Deadline has reached out to the BBC to establish if it will be participating in a television blackout on Tuesday. ITV’s daily show This Morning paused at 11AM on Tuesday, displaying the words “Black Lives Matter” on a black screen.

Amazon Prime Video UK also tweeted in support of the movement:

Meanwhile over in radio, Absolute Radio and Scala Radio were among those who said they will abstain from posting on social media as part of their stand against racism. The BBC’s youth station, Radio 1Xtra, is planning special programming and debates in support of the black community in the UK and around the world.

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