BET Networks Launches its New Late Night Series "Don't Sleep!," Hosted by T.J. Holmes, Monday October 1 at 11:00 PM ET/PT

Emmy-Award Winning Executive Producer and Co-Creator of The Daily Show To Helm New Show for BET

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - August 3, 2012 - BET Networks announced today the debut of "DON'T SLEEP!," hosted by T. J. Holmes, on Monday, October 1 from 11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT. In the new original series "DON'T SLEEP!," Holmes will deliver smart, biting social commentary on significant issues important to African-Americans. Guaranteed to shake up late night, "DON'T SLEEP!," presents and tackles current headlines that affect our community while also creating awareness about vital stories mainstream media tends to disregard. Airing Monday through Thursday, "DON'T SLEEP!" is also infused with a team of correspondents injecting perspective, humor and commentary about a wide range of topics. The witty late night series is keenly focused on keeping Black America engaged, awake and in the know.

T. J. Holmes is an award-winning journalist and respected television personality who is highly regarded in the African-American community. Prior to joining BET, Holmes was the weekend anchor for CNN, securing some of the first stories from the survivors of the US Airways flight that crash landed in the Hudson River in 2009. In addition, he has covered the first presidential debate between Sen. John McCain and then-Sen. Barack Obama at the University of Mississippi, brought us stories from the shooting on the Virginia Tech campus, and reported from Ground Zero during the September 11 attacks.

Holmes will be joined by executive producers Madeleine Smithberg and Sarah North of Mad Cow Productions, which will produce the late night strip for BET audiences. Smithberg, an Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer, is the co-creator and former showrunner of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, producing more than 1100 episodes for the Emmy-award winning series.

For more information on "DON'T SLEEP!" go to BET.com/DontSleep. Join the conversation on social media by logging on to BET's multiple social media platforms:

· On Facebook by liking the fan page at facebook.com/BETDontSleep

· On Twitter by using hashtag: #BETDontSleep and following us @BETDontSleep and @BET

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), 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 90 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 operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.