ViacomCBS's network of channels will go dark in the US later today as a tribute to George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was killed a week ago after being detained by a police officer who knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes, despite Floyd begging for him to stop.
The shocking incident has caused mass unrest across the US, with protests in almost every major city and the 'Black Lives Matter' movement becoming the number one national talking point.
According to Deadline, ViacomCBS entertainment president Chris McCarthy told staff that all of its entertainment channels, including MTV, Comedy Central and BET, will shut down today for a period of eight minutes and 46 seconds - the time during which Floyd lost his life.
"While I am not a person of color and can never fully understand this experience, I am offended by the systemic racism and want to stand together with our communities of color in the hurt and pain," McCarthy wrote in an email to colleagues. "We must all do our part – discrimination against one of us is discrimination against all of us."
ViacomCBS previously went dark for 17 minutes in 2018 to honour the 17 victims of a mass school shooting in Florida that was thought to be racially-motivated.
Neil Wilkes
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