BET Networks Announces the Launch of BET in the UK

BET Networks Announces the Launch of BET in the UK

Black Entertainment Television Delivers High Quality Programming, Including Top-Rated Shows "106 & PARK," "American Gangster," "College Hill" and "Meet the Faith," to British Audiences Beginning on Thursday, February 28

NEW YORK, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), today announced the launch of BET, a new television channel in the United Kingdom dedicated to bringing British consumers access to top-rated BET shows, including 106 & PARK, AMERICAN GANGSTER, HELL DATE, THE BET HONORS, COLLEGE HILL, MEET THE FAITH and many more.

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BET will be offered free-to-air on the digital satellite platform beginning on Thursday, February 28. Available via the Sky Guide, BET will be accessible to more than 8.8 million digital satellite homes, adding considerably to BET Networks' global reach. BET Networks is the leading provider of media and entertainment for African Americans and consumers of Black culture, currently reaching more than 87 million households in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

"We're thrilled to be able to bring high quality, Black cultural content to communities around the world and deliver on our commitment to expand the BET brand internationally," said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. "For more than 27 years, BET Networks has been the leader in providing premium entertainment to African American audiences, and we're so excited to establish BET as the premier destination for UK audiences to enjoy content that reflects the many viewpoints of the Black experience."

"BET has been building a presence among our core target audience in the United Kingdom for more than two years," said Michael D. Armstrong, Senior Vice President and General Manager, BET International. "For the UK version of BET, we will be giving BET's U.S. content a regionalised look and feel that reflects the UK marketplace, and as we grow and develop the channel, we look forward to partnering with the UK creative industry to give BET an even stronger British accent."

The programming that will be aired on BET in the UK will grow to include more regional content, but will initially include series such as:

-- 106 & PARK -- As BET's highest-rated music and variety series of all
time, 106 & PARK has quickly become the leading music video countdown,
performance and interview show on television.

-- COLLEGE HILL -- Reality TV reaches new heights as BET's COLLEGE HILL
exposes real student life -- drama and all -- in the quest for higher
education.

-- MEET THE FAITH -- MEET THE FAITH, the dynamic current events news show
hosted by New York Times best-selling author Ian Smith, offers a fresh
and provocative take on world events.

-- THE BET HONORS -- THE BET HONORS celebrates Black achievement in
business, entertainment, social justice and philanthropy while
providing the kind of award-winning, show-stopping musical performances
that make BET specials deliver huge results.

-- SUNDAY BEST -- Hosted by gospel singer Kirk Franklin, SUNDAY BEST is
BET's nationwide search to find the best undiscovered gospel singers in
America.

-- BALDWIN HILLS -- BALDWIN HILLS is a reality show filmed in a docudrama
style that depicts the privileged and pressured lives of some of Los
Angeles, California's freshest princes and princesses of "Black Beverly
Hills."

-- HELL DATE -- Contestants seek their soul mates on HELL DATE, a reality
dating show featuring a guy or girl who is looking to find true love,
but instead is paired with an actor or actress who will actually be
their worst nightmares come to life.

-- AMERICAN GANGSTER -- The critically acclaimed documentary series
AMERICAN GANGSTER explores, without glorifying, the rise and fall of
some of Black America's most notorious crime figures.

Another integral part of the programming lineup will be BET News specials, including LIFE AND DEATH IN DARFUR: JEFF JOHNSON REPORTS about the crisis in Sudan, and HIP HOP VS. AMERICA, which takes a close look at the state of hip hop today and features a panel of prominent leaders in the hip-hop industry, the political realm, academia and the Black church.

In addition to delivering original programming to UK audiences, BET will also be expanding its pro-social initiative Rap-It-Up and bringing the campaign to the UK. Since 1998, BET has partnered with the Kaiser Family Foundation on Rap-It-Up, a comprehensive public education campaign designed to inform young people about sexual health issues, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The Emmy Award-winning campaign features special news programs, documentaries, public service announcements, online content, a toll-free hotline, community forums, mobile HIV testing events and school curricula.

The official media presentation for BET in the UK will take place at the Odeon West End, Leicester Square, London on Thursday, February 28 and will give the media an opportunity to get a preview of the new network. Media check-in is at 10:30 a.m. To find out more information, please send an email to RSVP@glenyearwoodgroup.com.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE: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 87 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. 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 Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, a service venture into the lucrative world of ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information including releases and photographs, visit BET's press-only Web site at www.bet.com/pr.

About BET Experiential Brand Marketing in the UK

BET sponsorship in the UK includes the Black Film Makers Short Film Awards 2007 and a dance troupe that performed as part of the 2007 Notting Hill Carnival. Since its inception in 2006, the BET HIP HOP AWARDS has had a category acknowledging Britain's contributions to hip hop. Nearly 25,000 fans voted interactively on MTV Base and 1Xtra BBC websites. UK artists Sway and Kano each won the prestigious music award in Atlanta, Georgia.

About Glen Yearwood Group

The Glen Yearwood Group is the London based communications partner for BET International since 2006. GYG is a strategic communications consultancy that works on behalf of major companies, brands and public sector organisations. We deliver targeted marketing solutions that reach urban based 11-35 year olds, often from a multi-ethnic cultural background, using innovative and non- traditional methods of delivery. www.glenyearwoodgroup.com

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Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: Tracy McGraw, +1-212-846-7879, tracy.mcgraw@bet.net, or
Bernadette Simpao, +1-212-846-6722, bernadette.simpao@bet.net, both of BET
Networks; or Glen Yearwood, +44 (0) 208 318 0040 or (0) 7710 15 12 30,
glen@glenyearwoodgroup.com, of The Glen Yearwood Group

Web site:

http://www.bet.com/
http://www.glenyearwoodgroup.com/

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