Behind The Headlines: What Millennials Want To Watch

“All life’s answers are on TV.”

Words from Homer Simpson, sitcom sage, in what might be an arch commentary about the lack of moral direction on television. Otherwise he meant it literally. It’s tough to tell when Homer is being ironic.

Alas, television has just gained a conscience in the form of Pivot TV, a cable network launched last week by Participant Media, the production company founded by billionaire-philanthropist Jeff Skoll, behind films The Help and Contagion, among other socially-relevant blockbusters.

Pivot targets do-gooding millennials (18-34,) and incorporates calls to action in its eclectic programming. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will host a crowd-sourced variety show that will turn to viewers for content ideas when it premieres in September. TakePart Live, a current affairs show now airing nightly, parses news headlines while its companion website takes viewers to petitions and awareness-raising campaigns related to causes featured on the network.

Pivot launched August 1 in the United States, but is available to Canadians on iTunes and through the network’s app.