Qwest TV, co-founded by music icon and innovator Quincy Jones, has partnered with VIZIO in the US to further Qwest TV’s goal of expanding access to breathtaking and groundbreaking music performances. The high-caliber music-focused service’s three linear channels will now be available on millions of VIZIO SmartCast TVs in America. Audiences can find Qwest TV Classical on channel 907, Qwest TV Mix on channel 908, and Qwest TV Jazz & Beyond on channel 909 in the free channel programming guide on VIZIO SmartCast.
VIZIO users will be the first in the American market to have access to Qwest TV’s flagship channels straight from their SmartCast TV. These channels show how artistry, not genres or geography, can guide music programming. With its linear offerings changing monthly, Qwest TV regularly programs a mix of rarities and archival finds (Ms Lauryn Hill’s 2018 concert and Stan Getz’s last show), intense performances (Kool & the Gang, De La Soul), concerts from turning points in artists’ careers (Nina Simone at the peak of the Civil Rights Movement), and unique programs (Robert Glasper pays tribute to Roy Ayers, exclusive interviews with Questlove and Erykah Badu).
Channels include:
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Qwest TV Classical (including opera, ballet, and exciting concerts from around the world). May highlights include a tribute to George Balanchine from St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre and a Yo-Yo Ma/Manfred Honeck collaboration.
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Qwest TV Jazz & Beyond (Jazz to Soul, Funk, Blues and Global music). May highlights include a rare 1957 Ella Fitzgerald concert from a European archive and a high-energy show by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80.
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Qwest TV Mix (Indie Rock, Electronic, and Roots-driven artists from around the world who defy style boundaries). May highlights include the Robert Glasper Experience, Bonobo, and psychedelic Turkish rockers Altın Gün.
Quincy Jones, my co-founder at Qwest TV, has long worked to boost Americans’ access to and engagement with the arts. It’s wonderful to finally get to offer our flagship linear channels to an American audience thanks to VIZIO, says Reza Ackbaraly, co-founder and CEO of Qwest TV. “This US viewership will join more than eight million unique monthly viewers across Europe and East Asia who have already gained access to what we feel are some of the most compelling artists and musical moments out there.
Qwest TV’s premium on-demand offerings, a curated catalog of more than 1,300 documentaries, interviews, and archive films, are available in North America as mobile apps for Apple and Android devices and on Fire TV, but this is the first chance Americans will get access to the artfully curated experience of Qwest TV’s linear channels, available for free 24/7. Audiences can find the Qwest TV channels in the free channel programming guide on VIZIO SmartCast.
We started Qwest TV to make the most beautiful, sophisticated music accessible to everybody, no matter where they come from. It makes my soul smile to announce that true music lovers everywhere can be part of the family, says Quincy Jones. We’ve got incredible live shows for users to enjoy, anytime, anywhere.
