BET Celebrates Banner Ratings in 2009

The Network Delivers Its Highest Viewership Ever in the 29-Year History of the Channel

BET Finished the Fourth Quarter as a Top Cable Network Among Adults 18-49

NEW YORK, Dec. 30 -- BET closes 2009 with a bang! The Network had its best year ever in its 29-year history with an average of 512,000 total viewers. For all of 2009, the Network has enjoyed double-digit gains in all four quarters and in all key demographics. This year of historic ratings growth follows an aggressive strategy that included new original programming, big signature specials, key acquisitions and blockbuster movies.

BET is among the cable networks posting the biggest year-over-year gains, up double-digits over last year among total viewers (+17%) and key demographics: adults 18-49 (+19%), and adults 18-34 (+17%). Additionally, BET continues to reign as the #1 cable network among blacks year after year, and the audience continues to grow. Moreover, the fourth quarter of 2009 is the number one fourth quarter performance in BET history.

In 2009 BET scored the number one award show on cable and the number one program among blacks in cable television history with the BET AWARDS '09 which drew 10.7 million total viewers; its number one hip-hop telecast in network history and television's number one hip-hop themed telecast with the 2009 HIP HOP AWARDS; cable's number one late night series among blacks with THE MO'NIQUE SHOW.

Additional highlights from the year include:

Original Programming:

* The finale of TINY & TOYA, attracted more than 1.9 million total viewers. TINY & TOYA finished the season with an average of 1.8 million viewers making it the #1 original series in BET history.

* The premiere and encore of MONICA: STILL STANDING garnered 3.2 million total viewers making it the #2 series debut in BET history behind the debut of TINY & TOYA. MONICA: STILL STANDING was the #1 cable reality series telecast on Tuesday, October 27 (Total Viewers).

* 1.5 million viewers tuned in for the series opener of BET's late night talk show THE MO'NIQUE SHOW, which premiered on Monday, October 5. Through its debut night THE MO'NIQUE SHOW series premiere was the #1 entertainment talk show in cable television history. THE MO'NIQUE SHOW ranked as BET Network's highest-rated show for the season. The inaugural episode also outperformed the competition, coming in as the number one entertainment talk show on cable overall and the number one talk show among adults 18-49 (850,000). Since the premiere, THE MO'NIQUE SHOW has averaged 753,000 viewers.

* The SUNDAY BEST season two premiere telecast is BET's most watched SUNDAY BEST telecast ever. SUNDAY BEST season two is the number one gospel series on television. With 1.7 million viewers, the SUNDAY BEST season two premiere was up 68% versus SUNDAY BEST season one premiere (.80), making this the highest percentage gain for a series premiere in BET history.

Signature Specials:

* The live premiere of the BET AWARDS '09 on Sunday, June 28, drew 10.7 million total viewers - the #1 award show on cable for 2009 and reigns as the #1 program among blacks in cable television history. The BET AWARDS '09 capped a record-breaking second quarter for BET.

* The Monday, February 9 premiere of THE BET HONORS garnered 2.5 million viewers. Additionally, THE BET HONORS and BET AWARDS '09 had the biggest year over year growth versus all other television award shows this year.

* The 2009 BET HIP-HOP AWARDS garnered 3.8 million total viewers, making it the #1 hip-hop telecast in BET History and television's #1 hip-hop themed telecast for the 4th consecutive year.

* The BET premiere of the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS on Sunday, November 29, drew 4.0 Million Total Viewers - making it the #1 telecast for the fourth quarter in BET history.

Key Acquisitions:

* Season three of THE GAME averaged 1.1 million viewers and was the #1 acquired series in network history. BET's airing of THE GAME 3 on Wednesday, October 21 outperformed every premiere episode of THE GAME 3 on the CW.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. ( 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; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - 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 Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; 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.