The Bounce television network and the Brown Sugar streaming service are teaming up to carry Aretha Franklin’s farewell memorial service live this Friday, Aug. 31.
The funeral will take place at the Greater Grace Temple in Franklin’s beloved hometown of Detroit. Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Ronald Isley, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters and Marvin Sapp are among the 19 artists scheduled to perform at the family-and-friends-only service. Smokey Robinson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Former President Bill Clinton will be among the high-profile speakers.
Bounce and Brown Sugar will partner with Bounce’s local Detroit affiliate, WXYZ-TV, for the special event, airing and streaming WXYZ’s hometown coverage and commentary nationwide.
“Celebrating the Queen of Soul” will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET. WXYZ news anchors and longtime friends of Franklin, Carolyn Clifford and Glenda Lewis, will host the hour-long event. The special will include highlights and remembrances of the legendary singer’s career interspersed with live reports from outside Greater Grace Temple as celebrities, politicians, friends and loved ones arrive to pay their respects. The memorial service is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations with corresponding cable carriage and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, special events, live sports and more. Visit BounceTV.com for local channel information.
Brown Sugar (@BrownSugarApp) is Bounce’s popular new streaming service featuring the biggest collection of iconic African-American movies available, as well as Bounce originals, live special events and more. It is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Channels, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle, Android and Apple smartphones and tablets and web browsers via BrownSugar.com. Brown Sugar also has Google Chromecast capabilities which allow video to play on televisions directly from mobile devices and tablets for consumers with Android and iOS devices. There is a free initial trial period for subscribers with a retail price of $3.99/month thereafter. Visit www.BrownSugar.com for more information.
