Bridges TV intends to launch an English language entertainment channel on cable and satellite targeting 8 million American Muslims in 2004. With a 6% annual growth rate, American Muslims are the fastest growing demographic in the country. This market is younger, better educated and more affluent than the U.S. average. The channel will be a premium pay service priced at $15 per month. The Company has already signed up 40,000 homes pre-launch, 6,000 of these homes have already started paying $10 per month in support of the channel and for a package of 4 movies on DVD.
First quarter of launch will require 250 hours of original content. The Company has identified 3,000 hours of programming content and is in the process of acquiring exclusive broadcast rights. Carriage contracts are being worked upon with the DISH Network, Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision and Globecast. Bridges TV has received extensive media coverage that includes CNN, FOX, ABC, Newsday, Washington Post, Al-Jazeera, MSNBC, Voice of America, Newsweek and many more. This has resulted in a very high level of awareness and excitement within the target market.
Bridges TV has received endorsements from the world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, NBA star Hakeem Olajuwan, the U.S. State Department and all major American Muslim organizations. The Company has assembled a strong team of professionals with experience at PBS, MTV, ABC, TLC and Discovery. Bridges TV has built a dB of 500,000 opted-in email addresses and phone numbers of American Muslims. With an overseas Call Center and electronic newsletters, the Company can inexpensively reach its target audience quickly.
Bridges TV currently has $800,000 in cash to launch this historic project. The Company is in the process of raising an additional $500K at a $7 million pre-money valuation. Mr. Mike Pinto, Vice Chairman and CFO of M&T Bank, is the financial advisor for Bridges TV.