BET’S STAR-STUDDED “54TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS”
DELIVERS CLOSE TO THREE MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS P2+ (EDAC) ACROSS THIRTEEN PARAMOUNT GLOBAL NETS LIVE ON
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25
UP +72% FROM LAST YEAR

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HOSTED BY QUEEN LATIFAH, THE “54TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS” MADE ITS SIMULCAST RETURN TO CBS WHERE IT DREW 1.5 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS

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THE LIVE TELECAST IS THE #1 MOST SOCIAL PROGRAM ON CABLE

WITH QUADRUPLE-DIGIT GAINS +1,658% YEAR-OVER-YEAR

(“54th NAACP Image Awards” host Queen Latifah at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 25, 2023 in Pasadena, California.) (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET)

New York, NY – March 1, 2023– The in-person return of the globally-recognized and distinguished multicultural award show, the “54th NAACP Image Awards,” on Saturday, February 25, continued its tradition of Black excellence. The awards drew 2.9 million total viewers P2+ (EDAC), which was up +72% from last year, as it was simulcast LIVE across 13 Paramount Global networks, including BET HER, CMT, Comedy Central, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, POP TV, Smithsonian, TV Land, and VH1. For the second time, it was also simulcast on CBS where it garnered 1.5 million total viewers.* NAACP and BET honored Black luminaries in music, television, film, and sports across more than 70 categories, including “Abbott Elementary,” Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Nicco Annan, Viola Davis, and Will Smith. An array of special award recipients, including Gabrielle Union-Wade, Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, and Benjamin Crump, delivered moving speeches. Beaming with star power and not-to-be-missed moments, the “54th NAACP Image Awards” secured the #1 spot as the most social prime-time program on all of cable Saturday night.** Hosted by artist, actress, producer, author, and entrepreneur Queen Latifah, the iconic show will encore Thursday, March 2 at 9 pm ET/ PT on BET.

Viewers across the world were glued to the “54th NAACP Image Awards” on multiple screens generating over 10.4M social interactions and charting quadruple-digit gains +1,658% year-over-year (10M vs 592K) across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.**

For all information and the latest news, please follow NAACP Image Awards on Instagram @NAACPImageAwards and @BET.

For the complete list of winners and show highlights for the “54th NAACP Image Awards” is available HERE.

• For select Images (Photo Credit: Getty Images for BET): Click HERE.
• For show clips (Courtesy of BET): Click HERE.

The “54th NAACP Image Awards” was presented by Wells Fargo and sponsored by Bank of America, Gushers, Google, Airbnb, Amazon, FedEx, Lowe’s, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Audible, Bacardi, and Mielle.

The “54th NAACP Image Awards” was produced by Hudlin Entertainment and The Gurin Company along with Executive Producers Reggie Hudlin and Phil Gurin, Co-Executive Producer Byron Phillips, and Producer Robin Reinhardt. Connie Orlando and Jamal Noisette served as executive producers for BET.

*Source: Nielsen (Live+SD) | Total viewers based on sum of avg imps on Simulcast networks

**Source: Conviva (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, 1/12/23 – 2/28/23), Sprinklr (TikTok, 1/12/23 – 2/28/23), Adobe Analytics (.com, Apps, 1/12/23 – 2/28/23). Snapchat views include duplication across individual story frames (views include separate videos for SC stories). Data delays may vary by platform. Talkwalker Social Content Ratings. Linear measurement for live/new total day programs. 1/1/23 - 2/25/23.

ABOUT NAACP

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation's first civil and human rights law organization, and shares our commitment to equal rights.

ABOUT BET:

The BET Media Group, a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARAA; PARA; PARAP), is the world’s largest media company dedicated to entertaining, engaging, and empowering the Black community and championing Black culture. Connecting Black audiences through a portfolio of brands including BET, BET+, BET Gospel, BET HER, BET International, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Studios, and VH1, the BET Media Group is a thriving media ecosystem of leading interconnected platforms across cable TV, streaming, digital, studios, live events, and international channels. For more information about BET, visit www.bet.com and follow @BET on social platforms. For more BET news announcements, follow us on social @BET_PR.

NAACP Image Awards Media Contacts:

Luis Defrank | luis.defrank@bet.net

Chloe Duverge | chloe.duverge@bet.net

Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis | NAACPImageAwards@sunshinesachs.com

Jonah Bryson | jbryson@naacp.org

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