1.7 Million Households and 2.5 Million Viewers Tune in for "THE BET HONORS" Premiere On Monday, February 9

BET has scored big with its second annual presentation of THE BET HONORS, which premiered Monday, February 9 at 9:00 p.m.* to 1.7 million households and 2.5 million viewers for a 1.88 coverage rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Total viewership for THE BET HONORS '09 more than doubled last year's audience (up +127% versus last year). The special also saw a +88% increase in household delivery, which translates to a +83% coverage rating gain. Moreover, this year's BET HONORS posted huge demo gains to the tune of triple-digit growth among almost every key demo, led by Kids 2-11 (+363%), followed by Teens (+132%), Adults 18-34 (+92%) and Adults 35+ (+103%).

THE BET HONORS '09 now stands as the #1 calendar year 2009 BET telecast and the #2 BET season-to-date telecast, second only to the BET HIP HOP AWARDS' premiere in October.

"The 2009 BET HONORS was one of the best, most enriching shows we've ever produced," said Stephen Hill, President of Music Programming and Specials, BET Networks. "That THE BET HONORS more than doubled last year's viewers speaks volumes about our audience's growing hunger for the celebration of Black accomplishment and brilliance, and we're thrilled to deliver! We thank the honorees, presenters and performers and our friends at Cossette Productions for their incredible talent, and we look forward to dazzling again with THE BET HONORS in 2010."

THE BET HONORS, which pays tribute to the lives and achievements of leading African American luminaries, was hosted this year by talented actress Gabrielle Union and recognized the accomplishments of legendary songstress Mary J. Blige (Entertainment); groundbreaking filmmaker Tyler Perry (Media); celebrated dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison (Education); businessman, philanthropist and basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Corporate Citizen); entrepreneur extraordinaire B. Smith (Entrepreneur); and the Honorable Congressman James E. Clyburn (Public Service). The show was taped on Saturday, January 17 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.

THE BET HONORS featured a star-studded line-up, with performances by Stevie Wonder, Queen Latifah, Anthony Hamilton, Ne-Yo, Anita Baker, Monica, Joss Stone, Yolanda Adams, Keyshia Cole and the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Terrence Howard, Angela Bassett, Diddy, Whitney Houston, Samuel L. Jackson and Hill Harper also made appearances.

If you missed Whitney Houston's appearance or Anita Baker's powerful performance, you can catch encore presentations of THE BET HONORS on BET on Sunday, February 15 at 8:00 p.m.*, Monday, February 16 at 10:00 p.m.* and Sunday, February 22 at 1:00 p.m.*

*All times ET/PT

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 businesses 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.

Tracy McGraw, +1-212-205-3013,
tracy.mcgraw@bet.net, or
Bernadette Simpao, +1-212-205-3154,
bernadette.simpao@bet.net,
both of BET Networks