Able Channel, a streaming service featuring original programming about consumer healthcare, plans to launch in early 2021.
Founded by Brian McCourt and Paul Goggin, the channel has secured carriage on AppleTV, IOS, Android and Roku devices.
The channel plans a free preview on Veterans Day (Nov. 11), with an original six-part series Surviving Suicide, about former service members who’ve tried to take their own lives.
The Able Channel said it has raised several million dollars from key healthcare investors, and in the process of getting additional funding. Current investors include: Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, Callais Capital, Healthcare Innovation Fund II, LLC, and StartUp Health.
A number of big names are directors and advisors for Able. Former Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin, exec MGM/United Artists executive VP Alan Cole-Ford and Steve Miller, CEO of Agassi Graf Holding are on the board. Executives from the Cleveland Clinic, the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corp., Anthem and Stanford University’s Longevity Advisory Council are also directors.
USA Network founder Kay Koplovitz is an advisor, along with former Disney VP Oliver de Courson, former Merck VP and chief diversity officer Deborah Dagit and Dan Gasby, CEO of B. Smith Enterprises.
“Consumers need a credible, accurate resource they can rely on to navigate their health needs in a marketplace that is often overwhelming,” said McCourt, who launched internal networks for companies including Novartis, Hard Rock Cafe and Disney.
Co-founder and COO Paul Goggin has spent the past 25 years building scalable media applications for companies including Think Interactive and Free All Media. Chief Content Officer Digger O’Brien spent 25 years at the NFL and NFL Films, including heading entertainment marketing for the league. CFO Keith Eckert was the CFO at digital entertainment subscription service Epix.
Able Channel plans to introduce new original series each quarter. The series will feature real stories focusing on relevant health topics including living well, cancer, the brain, aging, behavioral health, chronic illness and disability.
First quarter 2021 original series include the 20-episode diversity and inclusion series Together We Are ABLE, which profiles everyday people with disabilities who are smashing stereotypes and making a difference in the world, and Good Health Minutes, featuring daily health and wellness news and information in bite-size formats. They will be followed by more original series premieres in spring 2021.
