Led by New Hit Series "TINY & TOYA," BET Celebrates Its Biggest July Year-Over-Year Total Viewer Gains in 8 Years

BET continued its ratings momentum in July 2009 by garnering the highest year-over-year increases in the coveted adult 18-49 demographic among all television networks (broadcast and basic cable). BET also saw the highest year-over-year total viewership gains among all other top 20 ad-supported entertainment cable networks and all of the top four broadcast networks. According to Nielsen Media Research, BET is now the #19 ad-supported entertainment cable network among total viewers (up from #25 in July 2008), and the #17 ad-supported cable network among adults 18-49 (up from #23 in July 2008).

In July 2009, BET had its highest July year-over-year total viewership gains in eight years (+37%), and its largest July year-over-year adult 18-49 demo gains in BET history (+45%). July 2009 is the fifth consecutive month BET has enjoyed year-over-year double-digit total viewership gains.

BET's ratings growth this month was fueled in part by new hit original series TINY & TOYA (Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT), which is tracking to be the #1 series in BET history, averaging more than 2 million viewers weekly. The series' debut reigns as the #1 cable reality series debut among total viewers so far this year. Also, the encore of BET's Michael Jackson Memorial special at 9:15pm on Tuesday, July 7, was the #1 Michael Jackson Memorial telecast among all non-news cable networks, with 1.7 million total viewers.

*All data referenced above is LIVE.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), 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 reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

BET Networks
Bernadette Simpao, +1-212-205-3154
bernadette.simpao@bet.net
Web Site: http://www.bet.com