SurvivorNet TV has launched as a streaming service catering to the growing number of Americans who are cancer survivors. The ad-supported service launched a bit earlier than planned, as a way to support the cancer community during the COVID-19 crisis, CEO and co-founder Steve Alperin, a veteran of ABC News, told Next TV. "We sped up the launch and throughout the rest of the year we are investing in the ongoing expansion of our programming, including an increasing number of relevant documentaries, such as Thank You For Playing, as well as our newsmagazine," he said.
The channel said its content concerns people and stories around cancer, from recent scientific breakthroughs to leading medical treatments, COVID-19 guidance and documentaries dealing with topics ranging from music to relationships.
Interviews on SNTV are with such news personalities as Joan Lunden, Amy Robach and Tom Brokaw, as well as actors Patrick Dempsey and Marcia Cross. Cancer experts are well represented, including Nobel Prize winner Dr. Jim Allison and doctors at major institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Stanford, Dana Farber and MD Anderson.
"Our community really needs support and comfort right now and SNTV is a natural step as we continue to expand on our mission to help democratize access to the world's leading cancer doctors and to provide comprehensive, reliable information to patients, survivors and families," Alperin said in a statement on the launch. "From the standpoint of a television product, the stakes could not be higher for the characters in our programming. The human drama and emotions are as compelling as any I've ever witnessed."
Cancer survivors are a population expected to reach 20 million in the U.S. by 2022. The free OTT service is now available on SurvivorNet.com, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, SNTV said.
Content also includes the documentary Flo, the story of photographer Flo Fox's persistence in the face of blindness, multiple sclerosis and lung cancer. SurvivorNet was founded by Alperin and Tim Langloss.
