In a landmark moment for media equity, Byron Allen — via Allen Media Group (AMG) — has reached a settlement with McDonald’s over a $10 billion racial discrimination lawsuit filed in 2021. The case alleged that McDonald’s intentionally excluded Black-owned media from its primary advertising budget, funneling them into a lower-value “African American tier” with significantly smaller budgets.
Under the settlement, McDonald’s and AMG agreed on a “confidential commercial agreement” under which McDonald’s will continue to purchase advertising from AMG’s outlets — including Entertainment Studios Networks and The Weather Group — under terms “priced at market value.”
While McDonald’s did not admit wrongdoing, the deal ends the litigation and signals a renewed commitment — at least on paper — to investing in Black-owned media.
Advocates view the settlement as a significant win for fair representation, marking a shift in how mainstream corporations might approach ad spend and inclusion. For AMG and Byron Allen, it’s another step in a pattern of holding media giants and corporations accountable for inequitable allocation of resources.
