[2][3] In addition to conventional television distribution, Fusion was streamed online and on mobile platforms to subscribers of participating cable and satellite providers.
[4] Launched on October 28, 2013, the network's content featured news, lifestyle, pop culture, satire and entertainment aimed at English-speaking millennials, including those of a Hispanic background; the channel was Univision's first major push into English-language programming.
In December 2010, the newly appointed president of Noticias Univision, Isaac Lee, announced plans to start a 24-hour English language cable news channel aimed at Latino Americans.
[3] The channel formally launched on October 28, 2013, buoyed earlier in the day by a simulcast of ABC's Good Morning America and Univision's ¡Despierta América!
[12] After leading off with a three-minute musical number at 6:57 p.m. Eastern Time on October 28, 2013,[13] Fusion began regular programming with the debut of America with Jorge Ramos.
Senator Ted Cruz,[15] while other early Fusion shows Alicia Menendez Tonight featured more personal and less serious topics, and programs including No, You Shut Up ventured towards irreverence and even satire.
[5] However, the network operated separately from ABC's and Univision's news divisions, employing its own on-air talent, correspondents, management, production staff and board of directors.
[22] The company laid off a large portion of its workforce on November 16, 2016, ahead of the channel's anticipated reorganization in which the assets of Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion would form the new core of the station's programming.
Without much public notice, Univision notified their remaining carriage partners that the network would be shut down December 31, 2021, as the company solidifies their focus on Spanish-language audiences and their oncoming merger with Televisa.
The channel was primarily carried on the digital basic tiers of participating providers,[2][3] and premiered to a reach of approximately 20 million homes, one-fifth of the total U.S. households with subscription television services.
[46] Fusion's goal, according to Board of Directors member and ABC News president Ben Sherwood, is to reach 60 million homes within five years of its debut.