WITH CUTTING-EDGE CREATIVE EXECUTION AND COMPELLING SOCIAL COMMENTARY BY AN ALL-STAR LINE-UP OF TALENT, THE “BET AWARDS” DELIVERS OVER 3.7 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS TUNED IN ACROSS BET, BET HER AND CBS ON SUNDAY, JUNE 28

----

THE TELECAST REIGNS AS THE #1 CABLE AWARDS SHOW AMONG
P18-49 FOR ITS 6th CONSECUTIVE YEAR (2015-2020)

----

ON SOCIAL THE #BETAWARDS MORE THAN DOUBLE ITS VIEWS +139%, YEAR-OVER-YEAR

New York, NY – June 29, 2020– Black excellence illuminated the airwaves with the premiere of the "BET AWARDS" 2020 on Sunday, June 28. Proving that our culture is too big to be canceled, BET breaks ground as the first official award show to push forward as the ultimate platform to showcase the best and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience. Using an array of innovative techniques, including stunning and dynamic artist-generated performances and packages, the "BET AWARDS" allowed the audience to immerse themselves in the important and inspirational messages of Black Lives Matter and the urgent need for racial equality.  The "BET AWARDS" claimed the top spot as the #1 Cable Awards Show among P18-49 for the 2020 broadcast season, for the sixth consecutive calendar year (2015-2020)*. In its 20^th year, the awards drew 3.7 MM Total Viewers P2+ (EDAC), as it was simulcast LIVE across ViacomCBS networks including BET, BET Her, and for the first time ever CBS, with 1.6 MM Total Viewers P2+ and a 0.6 National Rating in Adults 18-49 tuning in on BET alone.* On CBS alone the  telecast drew 1.9 MM Total Viewers P2+ and a 0.4 National Rating in adults 18-49.*

Additionally, with the "BET AWARDS,” BET continues to have the top three cable Awards Shows among P18-49 for the 2020 season Year-To-Date (BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, Hip-Hop Awards).*

"For 20 years, the ‘BET Awards’ has stood as the ultimate celebration of Black Culture on television.  With all that is happening in 2020, it was crucial now more-than-ever to deliver an unforgettable show filled with powerful artistry, ingenious innovation, and compelling social commentary," said Scott Mills, President of BET.  "We are incredibly grateful to the amazing artists, and our extraordinary Executive Producers, Connie Orlando and Jesse Collins, who partnered to create a celebration, unlike any other, that so powerfully reflects the heart, mind, and soul of Black Culture and Black America at this critical moment in history."

The “BET Awards” generated over 31M views across BET Digital on the day of the show, up 2.5x from last year’s celebration. On BET Social, the show generated over 30M views, more than double (+139%) Y-O-Y. The awards generated multiple #1 rankings including:

• #1 most social program of the day on the day of air.
• #1 most talked about telecast across all TV for the day.
• #1 driver of social views across all of TV for the day.

Hosted by actress and comedian Amanda Seales, the "BET AWARDS" aired on Sunday, June 28, and celebrated the very best in entertainment and culture with performances and appearances by some of the biggest names across television, film, and music. Alicia Keys, Anderson .Paak Black Thought, Chloe X Halle, Chuck D, DaBaby, D Smoke, Flavor Flav, Jahi, Jay Rock, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Jonathan McReynolds, Kane Brown, Kierra, and Karen Clark Sheard of the iconic Clark Sisters, Megan Thee Stallion, Nas, Questlove, Rapsody, Roddy Ricch, SiR, Summer Walker, Usher, YG, BET Amplified Artists, Masego and Lonr  performed at the 20th annual “BET AWARDS.”

Lil Wayne, Wayne Brady delivered emotional tributes to Kobe Bryant and Little Richard respectively. Introduced by former First Lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter accepted the Humanitarian Award for her years of her philanthropic service.

In the final countdown to the “BET Awards,” Terrence J and Erica Ash hosted the first interactive pre-show featuring celebrities, nominees, and special guests who participated in Black Entertainment’s biggest night.

Fans can catch additional airings Wednesday, June 30 at 6 PM ET and Saunday, July 5 at 5 PM ET. Internationally, the show will simulcast on BET Africa at 2 am CAT on June 29^th, followed by international broadcasts in the UK on June 29^th at 9 pm BST, France on June 30^th at 8:45 pm CEST and in South Korea on June 30^th at 9 pm KST. BET will honor the ‘Best International Act’, along with the fan-voted category ‘Best New International Act’.

BET.com/betawards is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year's show. Join the conversation on social media by following #BETAwards on all social platforms.

For updates, select clips, photos or more information about the “BET AWARDS” visit: https://www.betpressroom.com/

Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET will oversee The “BET Awards” 2020 and serve as Executive Producer along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

*Source: Nielsen Fasties | Live+SD | 6/28/2020 | Historical data based on Nielsen Live+SD; Tentpole rankings based on home network only

**Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, linear program-level total interactions, Twitter, YouTube Analytics, Facebook Insights, ListenFirst, Tubular, Trends24, Adobe; 6/28/20 vs 6/23/19.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS

BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news, and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT “BET AWARDS”

The “BET Awards” is one of the most watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT

Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran, NAACP Image® Award winner and Emmy® Award nominee Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, the company has played an integral role in producing some of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE produced the critically acclaimed biopic The New Edition Story, the story on the boy band that aired as a 3-part mini-series and posted record ratings for BET and attracted nearly 30 million viewers. It was followed by The Bobby Brown Story, which chronicled the talented but troubled singer’s exit from the popular ’80s boy band through his solo success, and was the highest rated non-tentpole program on the network since The New Edition Story. The next mini-series for JCE is Uptown, a 3-part original scripted miniseries for BET that will chronicle the story of producer Andre Harrell’s iconic record label, Uptown Records. The company’s current scripted TV series is American Soul, the story about the struggle to make the dream of Soul Train, the first nationally-syndicated Black music show, come true. It ended its first season as the #1 new cable scripted drama for African Americans 18-49 and its second season debuts in May 2020. Previously, JCE produced BET’s hit TV series Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart that ran for 5 seasons. On the unscripted side, JCE produces annual live specials — the BET Awards, Soul Train Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards. Past credits include Black Girls Rock!, UNCF’s An Evening of Stars, ABFF Honors, BET Honors, Love & Happiness: An Obama Farewell, VH1’s Dear Mama, HBO’s Amanda Seales I Be Knowin;’ Netflix’s Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine. JCE’s game shows include VH1’s Hip Hop Squares with Ice Cube and CMT’s Nashville Squares. Its music competition series on BET, Sunday Best is now in its 10th season and Netflix’s Rhythm & Flow featuring judges Tip “T.I.” Harris, Cardi B and Chance the Rapper will soon begin production on its second season that will air in 2021. Collins is also a producer for The Grammy Awards. He was on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop 100 Power Players list, has been featured on the cover of Vibe magazine and in numerous publications including Ebony magazine’s Power 100 issue. Go to http://www.jessecollinsent.com/ for more information on the company.

# # #

BET MEDIA CONTACTS:

Luis Defrank

Luis.defrank@bet.net

LeToya Glenn-Bacon
letoya.glenn@bet.net

Dezmon Gilmore
dezmon.gilmore@viacom.com

ID-PR Contact:
BETAWARDS@ID-PR.com

CBS CONTACT:

Kate Fisher
khfisher@cbs.com

Follow us @BET_PR