Group Black, a firm created to push ad dollars toward Black-owned and Black-led media, has a $35.8 million lawsuit filed against it by Comcast’s NBCUniversal for breach of contract, unpaid invoices, and guaranteed payments, Business Insider reported.
Filed Feb. 11 in the New York Supreme Court, the lawsuit alleges Group Black failed to fulfill the terms of the contract after the firm predicted NBCU would be its largest source of revenue in 2024 after more than 30 brands signed on to the partnership in its first year, starting September 2023.
Despite selling over $30 million in advertising on NBCU’s streaming platform, Peacock, the suit claims Group Black agreed to shift its revenue share to zero in an effort to pay down the shortfall.The company says co-founder Bonin Bough acknowledged liability several times, even saying at one point he took it “very seriously.”
Despite the partnership ending in September 2025, in a statement, the Black-owned company says they “dispute the claims made by NBCUniversal and intend to respond through the appropriate legal process.”
“Group Black remains focused on its mission and serving its partners,” the firm said.
ad2">However, this isn’t the first time the firm has been hit with legal troubles, stemming from nonpayment accusations.
In 2024, two Essence Ventures-owned companies sued Group Black over accusations of the company owing close to $20 million. In the ongoing lawsuit, the firm claimed Essence loaned it money but denied the allegations in the suit.
Another ad agency, Audiomob, that provided mobile app advertising inventory for Group Black to push for their clients, demanded roughly $181,000 in invoices from Group Black, alleging the company had failed to pay. However, the suit was dismissed after Audiomob announced the company had made a “partial payment” of the funds owed.
Group Black launched in 2021 in response to the uproar amid the killing of George Floyd. When major advertisers sought to increase their spending on Black-owned media, the firm answered the call. But then the company dealt with internal challenges like market struggles and executive departures, forcing them to pivot to catering to a broader audience with the launch of a new venture, Portrait Media Group.
According to AInvest, Peacock’s ad partnership strategy vulnerability is put under the spotlight with the lawsuit, relying on third-party partners and giving them the responsibility to sell premium ad inventory and spread the wealth. Financial strain can come when the projected revenue stream becomes uneasy.
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