There has been a trend for those who follow current celebrity news to support the same causes as their favorite celebrity. The majority of this demographic is college students, who are more inclined to check a celebrity gossip site or watch entertainment news to learn more about their favorite celeb. In fact, celebrity-induced support for causes tends to be higher among 18-36 year-olds (27%) than older Americans. Only 10% of mature peoples (68+) claim to support a cause due to a celebrities actions.
Business benefit greatly from celebrity partnerships. A 2011 study by Harvard Business School concluded that signing a big-name endorser increases a company’s sale by $10 million annually and spurs a 0.25% increase in stock returns.
The combined revenue for the celebrity gossip industry tops more than $3 billion per year, and a large percentage of that comes from the black entertainment news industry.
There are more than 45 million African-Americans living in the United States, according to Census Bureau data. That’s about 15 percent of the nation’s population. While the U.S. continues to grow and become more culturally diverse, so does the current celebrity news.
Black Entertainment Television (BET) is viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide. As of 2010 it was the most prominent television network targeting young black-American audiences and was the leading provider of black American cultural and entertainment based programming.
Current celebrity news can cover trivial things such as who celebrity might be dating or breaking up with, but it can also help recognize the achievements and history in black entertainment. Here are a few celebs that you see in current celebrity news that have major historical achievements in black entertainment:
Television and Movies
- Denzel Washington has won two Oscars. He is one of the few black actors to have won an academy award, and became the second in history after Sidney Poitier who won his in 1963.
- Will Smith is one of the film industry’s most highly paid actors — nearly all of his films have grossed over $100 million.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show aired for 25 seasons, from 1986 to 2011. With its placement on 120 channels and an audience of 10 million people, the show grossed $125 million by the end of its first year, of which Winfrey received $30 million.
- Jay Z earned his 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with The Blueprint 3. This allowed him to beat out Elvis, for the record of most number one albums by a solo artist.
- Beyonce has an estimated net worth of $450 million as one of the most successful female music artists in the world. As for her husband Jay-Z, his net worth is $650 million, which brings their collective wealth to $1 billion.
Music
Music has a profound impact on current celebrity news. With artists like Beyonce and Jay Z dropping surprise albums and hip-hop receiving the most “likes” (314,540) on Facebook from college students in the U.S. out of any other musical genre in 2011, the demand to see more music and entertainment news as part of the current celebrity news cycle.
