BET NETWORKS WINS 2017 AS THE UNDISPUTED #1 CABLE NETWORK FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN VIEWERS

BET REMAINS THE #1 CABLE NET FOR 16 YEARS STRAIGHT AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS 18-49 AND A TOP 20 CABLE NET AMONG ALL P18-49

THE NETWORK SCORES SEVEN CONSECUTIVE MONTHS OF RATINGS GAINS MARKING ITS LONGEST STREAK OF YEAR OVER YEAR INCREASES IN NEARLY 8 YEARS

BET SHUTS DOWN THE SOCIAL SPHERE AS THE #1 MOST SOCIALLY BUZZED ABOUT CABLE NETWORK OF CY2017 ACROSS FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

THE NETWORK WILL KICK OFF 2018 WITH RETURNING FAVORITES AND NEW SHOWS FROM STEVE HARVEY, MIKE EPPS AND TONY ROCK

NEW YORK, December 19, 2017-- BET Networks, (a subsidiary of Viacom Inc., NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is closing out 2017 with record ratings growth and a slew of #1 rankings under its belt! While other networks court African American viewers, BET remains the undisputed #1 destination on cable for African-American viewers for 16 years straight among its core demo, African-American Adults 18-49 (CY02-CY17 YTD). With a broad appeal, the network also continues to rank in the Top 20 Cable Nets this year in the key P18-49 demo, as well as Adult Women 18-49. BET is also drawing younger viewers as it ranks among the Top 15 Cable Nets of CY2017 in total day for Millennials P18-34. From the record-breaking "New Edition Story" which bowed as the #1 Cable Biopic of ALL TIME, to BET's dominating tentpole awards shows, to hit BET Originals - BET is winning 2017!

BET's passionate fans propelled BET to be the #1 most socially buzzed-about cable network of CY2017 across Facebook and Twitter. In fact, BET claims 6 out of the Top 10 Most Social Cable Specials this year - including "BET Awards," "BET Hip Hop Awards," and "New Edition" to name a few - more than any cable net in the Top 10. The Network continues to reel in a fiercely enthusiastic fanbase with 7 months of consecutive year-over-year gains in CY17 - making this the highest streak of monthly YoY gains in nearly 8 years (since CY2009).

Now the Network is keeping up the momentum for 2018, as it announces its Winter 2018 programming lineup. BET will kick off January with two new series debuts - "Black Card Revoked" with Tony Rock and "BET's Mancave" from Steve Harvey; and two returning favorites - late night satire "The Rundown with Robin Thede" and HBCU campus drama "The Quad." The Network is also introducing the first ever "BET Social Awards" from Mike Epps celebrating the best (and worst) in social media, as well as BET's first legal procedural drama, "In Contempt" starring Erica Ash.

Check out how BET stacked up in 2017 below!

BET Remains #1 Cable Net for African American Viewers Across ALL Key Demos*

· BET is the #1 Cable Net for 16 Years Straight among Core Demo, African-American Adults 18-49 (CY02-CY17 YTD)

· BET is the #1 Cable Net of CY17 for African-American viewers across Key AA Demos, Women, and Teens

· AA Key Demos: AA P2+, AA P18-49, AA P25-54, AA P18+; AA Women Demos: AA W2+, AA W25-54, AA W35+; and African American Teens 12-17

· BET ranked as the #1 Cable Net in Primetime among African-American Adult Men 18+

BET is a Top 20 Cable Net for All Viewers & Top 15 Net For Millennials (Total Day)

· BET is a Top 20 Cable Net of CY2017 in total day among Target Demo, P18-49, Adult Women 18-49, Adults 25-54, Adult Women 25-54, and Millennial Men 18-34

· BET ranked among Top 15 Cable Nets of CY2017 in total day for Millennials P18-34 and Millennial Women 18-34

BET Closes 2017 with Historic Ratings Growth

· Amid a challenging TV environment, BET reports a ratings upswing with 7 months of consecutive double digit year-over-year gains in CY17 - making this the highest streak of monthly YoY gains in nearly 8 years (since CY2009)

· BET is 1 out of only 2 cable nets in the Top 20 to report year-over-year gains for CY2017

BET's "The New Edition Story" Was the Mini-Series Event of the Year**

· "The New Edition Story" bowed as the #1 Cable Biopic of All Time among Viewers 2+ and Adults 18-49, grossing 29MM TOTAL VIEWERS during its premiere week (Sum Totals)

BET Takes The Lion's Share Of Social Buzz***

· BET is the #1 most socially buzzed about cable network of CY2017 across Facebook and Twitter.

· BET has 6 out of the Top 10 Most Social Cable Specials this year - with BET Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, New Edition to name a few - more than any cable net in the top 10.

*Source: Live + Same Day | Measurement Period: CY02-CY17-to-Date by Year based on NHI Calendar (12/31/02-12/03/17)| Total Day = BET Total Day (Mon-Sa 8a-4a/Su 9a-12a), All Other Cable Nets Total Day as expressed in Nielsen platforms | Primetime (Mon-Su 8pm-11pm) | Ad-Supported Cable | Exclude Kids, Sports, News Ad-Supported Cable Networks, along with Ad-Supported Cable Networks that do not program 50% of 24 Hour Total Day | In 2016, BET tied with VH1 (110K Black P18-49 for both) | All Ranked on Impressions (000)s. | Subject to qualifications which will be supplied upon request.

**Source: 29MM Viewers. Source: Nielsen | Live + Same Day | New Edition Premiere Week (1/23-1/29/17) | Sum of the Average Audience refers additive sum of the 3-Part Premiere across BET & Centric plus 15 Encores on BET | Viewers 2+ Impressions (000) | #1 Cable Biopic of All Time Source: Nielsen | Live + Same Day | CY02-CY17 (12/31/02-09/24/17) | Biopics: New Edition Story (BET); VH1: TLC: Crazy, Sexy Cool, MC Hammer, MJ Man in the Mirror; Lifetime: Whitney; Toni Braxton, Brittney Spears, Anna Nicole, Full House, Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210, Craiglist Killer, Marilynn Monroe, Surviving Compton Miche'le, Natalee Holloway, Jodie Aria, Brittany Murphy, Liz & Dick, Amanda Knox, Casey Anthony, Carolina White, Cleveland Abduction, William & Kate, Gabby Douglas, Betty & Coretta, Lizzie Borden, Fantasia; and HBO: Bessie, Phil Spector, Liberace, Lyndon Johnson | Exclude Repeats | Reach based on P18-49, 6-Minute Qualifier. | All other rankings: Source: Nielsen | Live + Same Day | Measurement Period: 2016-17 BET Season (09/26/16-09/24/17) and CY17-to-date (12/26/16-12/3/17) | Primetime Mon-Sun 8pm-11pm | All Cable Programs, Excludes Repeats, Movies, Specials, Sports, and Programs with less than 2 airings | Ranked on Black P18-49 Impressions (000)s. | Subject to qualifications which will be supplied upon request.

***Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings. Measurement Period(s): Q4'17 to date (9/25/17-11/23/17) and CY2017-to-date (1/1/17-11/26/17). Excludes Sport Events as well as Sports and News Networks. All Cable. Specials stats include Cable Specials only. Ranked on Total Social Media Interactions. | Eminem Video Views stat- Source: Multiplatform Stat from Sprinklr and Adobe Analytics.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: 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 is in nearly 85 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, France and South Korea. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER (formerly CENTRIC), a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.