Tuesday, December 24, 2024
"New Paramount" May Be Looking To Discard Cable Networks Like MTV, Comedy Central, BET And Nickelodeon
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Paramount Global Is In Exclusive Talks To Sell BET For $1.6 Billion
Thursday, June 6, 2024
News Shorts: Supa Strikas Now Has A Release Date On Play Room With Ambani Tech Squad, Black Tax To Make Its Freemium Debut On e.tv With A Season 2 And Via Allocates Two New Afrikaans Series In August
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Reminder: BET Unveils New Daily Drama Queendom, Might Rollout On e.tv
Saturday, March 2, 2024
News Shorts: Da Vinci Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Future Chicken, Praise Petey Removed From Disney+ & Star+ Globally And BET Announces Production Of New Series Queendom
Friday, March 1, 2024
News Shorts: Sky News Named News Channel Of The Year At RTS, BET Announces New Series In Bloom + Release Date And NCIS Spinoff Greenlight By Paramount Plus
Saturday, December 30, 2023
Recap To The Month: Byron Allen Offers To Buy BET From Paramount Global For $3.5 Billion
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Paramount Is Reportedly In Talks To Sell BET For Almost $2 Billion
Monday, October 23, 2023
Paramount, Home To MTV And Nickelodeon Reportedly Up For Sale or Merger
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Recap To The Week: Paramount Is No Longer Selling BET
Friday, July 28, 2023
What To Expect On BET Africa In August 2023?
STELLAR AWARDS TBC
MONDAY 7 AUGUST @ 18:30
A Stellar Awards gospel music show is the first and oldest televised awards show honouring Gospel music for over 38 years. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent gospel artists.
ASSISTED LIVING S4
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST @ 20:30
After losing his job, Jeremy decides to move to the backwoods of Georgia to help his crazy grandfather who has foolishly purchased a terribly run-down home for the elderly.
HOUSE OF PAYNE S10 (C2)
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST @ 21:00
A multi-generational family lives under the same roof and gets into many comic situations because of their social life.
BET AFRICA ORIGINALS
BLACK TAX S3
SATURDAY @ 19:30 CAT
1 July 2023
Black Tax is a hilarious, fun and light-hearted sitcom entrenched in the culture of black tax, the good, the bad and the laugh out loud aspects of it! If you think you’re just earning your own way in this world, think again because it's payback since the first pay cheque!
NKALAKATHA: THE LIFE OF MANDOZA S1
WEDNESDAY 16 AUGUST
@ 21:00
It’s the dawn of South Africa’s liberation; big-hearted, impulsive Mduduzi from Zola township dreams of having a home and wants to help his mother and family. Kwaito is his one-way ticket. This is a story of a young man with a dream, that finds him unprepared and soon overwhelms him. The dream becomes a nightmare. This is a story of the person behind the superstar "Mandoza". The story delves into his emotional and personal struggles in a way that gives the viewers a sense of his human side. It is the rise of the star, the destruction and the restoration.
Thursday, June 22, 2023
BET's Future As A Linear Channel Up In The Air As Tyler Perry Reportedly Backs Out Of Deal
Media mogul Tyler Perry refuses to cough up the $3 billion-plus that Paramount is asking in an auction of Black Entertainment Television — and the fierce haggling has begun to throw a sale into doubt, The Post has learned.
The “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” star has been considered the frontrunner to win the auction for BET Group, whose properties include cable channels BET and VH1 along with the BET+ streaming service.
But Perry is losing patience with the drawn-out process after making an offer that’s short of $3 billion — a price tag that other investors also consider to be lofty, according to a source close to the situation.
The filmmaker, who already owns a 25% stake in BET and BET+, has private equity backing for his offer, the insider added.
“He is used to getting his way and is frustrated,” the source said, adding that final bids are due by mid-July.
Paramount Global bought BET for $2.7 billion in 2000 when the Shari Redstone-owned company was called Viacom. The company wants roughly 10 times the BET Group’s current $325 million in Ebitda, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, sources said.
However, the continuing decline in cable’s popularity as more people cut the cord figures to be a drag on BET Group’s future earnings.
Paramount Global — which includes CBS, MTV, Paramount Pictures, the recently launched Paramount+ streaming service and book publisher Simon & Schuster — had $15.6 billion in long-term debt as of March, according to public findings.
“Paramount’s leverage now is six times Ebitda, so to make this work a sale needs to happen at eight times or more,” the first source said, since after accounting for taxes a sale at a lower multiple will not reduce its debt level.
“There is interest, but not at eight times [Ebitda].”
There was a report by sometime ago that Perry had won the auction, leading to premature congratulations from Perry’s “Madea” co-star Keke Palmer.
Weather Channel owner Byron Allen is also in the hunt, according to an inside source.
Meanwhile, private equity firm CVC Capital Partners — which partnered with Group Black, a media company that teamed with celebrities including Rapper 50 Cent and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal — is out of the process, leaving Group Black looking for a well-funded partner, two sources said.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Tyler Perry To Take Control Over BET And Likely VH1
Tyler Perry (Madea, Gone Girl), founder and CEO of Tyler Perry Studios, will take control of BET, The Streamr has learned. The deal comes as a relief to Paramount Global, who I have learned is “hemorrhaging money”, according to a source, to the tune of more than $400 million. For reference, Perry’s net worth was recently stated by Forbes as $1 billion.
This new deal, valued at an undisclosed amount, will give Perry, a veteran champion of content aimed at the African American demographic, control BET Media Group, which also owns VH1.
TYLER PERRY, BET, AND STREAMING
BET+, the streaming service for the cable channel, is a joint venture between Paramount Streaming and Tyler Perry Studios. Launched in 2019, the service established a 4 year relationship between Paramount and Perry.
CEO of Paramount Global, Bob Bakish, previously explored a sale of a majority stake in the company. CNBC reported that insiders at Paramount believed selling to a group of wealthy black investors could “unlock opportunities and value”.
From Perry’s side, he previously expressed interest in the acquisition in March 2023, stating to ETOnline:
“Rumor? No, it’s not a rumor, I’ve been there for four years now and had tremendous success. I wasn’t expecting this to happen, so, yes – if that is possible, I’m very, very interested in taking as much of it… If it’s possible, I’m gonna take as much of it as I can.”
Reps for BET Media Group and Perry did not respond to our multiple requests for comment at the time of publication.
[UPDATE: REPS FOR BET DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE STORY AND REPS FOR PERRY HAVE RESPONDED; WE WILL UPDATE WITH FURTHER DETAILS]
WHY IS TYLER PERRY BUYING BET?
We have also had confirmation that speculation of a buyout came about once a number of projects for BET suddenly had funding pulled as soon as last week, including some in Atlanta. Speaking to Yahoo Finance in 2021, CEO of BET Media Group Scott Mills said that, “BET generated nearly 100% revenue growth in 2021 from BET+, and 50% subscriber growth over the same period,”. However, after aiming to spend a reported $17 billion in content production over 2022, and with ongoing issues such as the WGA strike, a niche service with simply “more than 3 million” subscribers after 4 years of launch simply couldn’t cut it.
It is not yet known whether BET+ will continue on, now operating under Perry’s sole purview, but the service has plans to continue into the era of ad-tiers. Announced in May 2023 for a June 25th launch, the ad-tier to combat BET+’s (now reasonable) ad-free price of $9.99/month will come in at $5.99/month.
BET has produced titles such as Being Mary Jane and First Wives Club, as well as Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Tyler Perry Studios has housed the production of titles like Hawkeye, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and A Madea Homecoming.
Saturday, June 10, 2023
What To Expect On BET Africa In July 2023?
SISTAS S6
THURSDAY 22 JUNE @ 21:00
Sistas follows a group of single black women as they navigate the ups and downs of modern life, which includes careers, friendships, romances, and even social media.
BLACK TAX S3
SATURDAY @ 19:30 CAT
1 July 2023
BET AFRICA MOVIE STUNTS
WESLEY SNIPES FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 22/29 JULY @ 20:00
ART OF WAR: THE BETRYAL
THE CONTRACTOR
THE DETONATOR
SPIDERMAN FESTIVAL
FRIDAYS @ 21:30
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
MONDAY NIGHT DRAMA FESTIVAL
MONDAYS @ 21:00
I SPY
THE INTRUDER
THE CALL
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
Friday, May 12, 2023
Recap To The Year: Redemption Cancelled After One Season On BET Africa, Will Be Made Available On e.tv
Redemption is another short lived South African based drama that was co-produced by two of the most notable production companies; Seriti Films, who are known for their masterful storytelling and Burnt Onion Productions, who deliver world-class productions.
Set in a mega church, centres on the Zikode family. After the disappearance of Pastor Simon Zikhode (Themba Ndaba), his daughter Faith (Kwanele Mthethwa), who is on the cusp of an international music career, drops everything to come to her family's rescue.
The cast includes Tina Jaxa, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Seputla Sebogodi, Yonda Thomas, Pearl Modiadie, Sparky Xulu and newcomers Nkone Mamejta and Toka Mtabane.
Redemption debuted sometime in 2022 as replacement BET's first original soap, Isono and with luck the series managed to attract 80000 households following its expansion from the Compact bouquet over to Access with the latter expected to air on e.tv.
Following the cutback of international programming on e.tv, eMedia Investments has been looking to build their original portfolio with eKasi on eReality and Kuiertyd on eExtra and have even managed to establish partnerships with Amazon Prime Video and BET for content.
Redemption comes as one of the several local projects eMedia Investments has in store for consumers with The Black Door set to get a prequel titled Isitha: The Enemy.
Friday, May 5, 2023
Reminder: The Block And MTV Shuga S11 Coming Soon To eReality And MTV Base Respectively
The Block is an Australian game show from Nine Network which follows couples who compete against each other to refurbish a home and sell it at an auction for the highest price to receive a monetary prize and go through a range of experiences as they do so. It features Judges Scott Cam and Shelley Craft.
Currently seen on M-Net, eMedia Investments picked up rights to the reality series for one of the top channels in the market, eReality. The channel features original content alongside a range of content licenced from CBS Studios, NBCUniversal and Paramount.
MTV Shuga Naija Season 5, the highly anticipated series produced by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, premiered at an exclusive event in Lagos on Thursday. The event featured a press briefing that focused on the issues addressed in the series, followed by a private screening of the new season.
The new season combines an exciting ensemble of established on-screen legends and rising stars including Adesua Etomi-Wellington, John Njamah, Tomiwa Tegbe, Maggie Osuome, Okey Uzoeshi, Gbubemi Ejeye, Genoveva Umeh, Ilooise Omohimin, Sharon Jatto, Lexan Peters, Bolaji Ogunmola, and Susan Pwajok.
MTV Shuga premieres May 7 at 22:00 on MTV Base and The Block premieres May 5 at 19:00 on eReality.
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Paramount Global In Talks With Tyler Perry To Sell Majority Stake In BET
Paramount Global is mulling the possible sale of a majority stake in BET Media Group, which includes the BET cable network, BET Studios and VH1, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The company believes BET, an entertainment brand focused on the Black community and culture, would attract substantial interest from Black investors or institutions, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
BET drew an immediate expression of interest from Byron Allen, whose Allen Media Group's assets include The Weather Channel. A spokesperson for Allen Media Group said it "will be pursuing the acquisition of the network."
Media mogul Tyler Perry, the actor and producer best known for the "Madea" movie franchise, also is interested bidding, according to the Wall Street Journal and various Hollywood trade publications.
Perry has a longstanding relationship with Paramount, partnering with the media company to launch the BET+ subscription service in 2019. He retains a minority stake in the service.
Paramount also formed BET Studios in 2021 through a partnership with "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris, actress Rashida Jones and "S.W.A.T" co-creator Aaron Rahsaan Thomas.
Paramount hopes to maintain a minority stake to benefit from any value that might be unlocked by the transaction, the source said.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Paramount was exploring a possible sale of BET as it looks to improve its balance sheet.
Friday, November 11, 2022
VH1 Is Making A Comeback On International Shores Through BET
VH1 started life as a music channel for older demos but gradually shifted towards reality TV, and more recently has targeted the African American audience. Bakish said:
“This strategic alignment will ensure VH1 − a leader in multi-cultural programming and the second largest US cable network for Black viewership − is best positioned for future success as a key part of the powerful BET ecosystem under the leadership of Scott Mills. Scott and his team continue to drive the evolution and growth of BET by building an interconnected set of leading platforms – linear, streaming, digital and studios – centered around the Black Community, Black Culture and Content.”
Bakish acknowledged the contribution of the MTV Entertainment Studios team under the leadership of Chris McCarthy and Nina L. Diaz, “who, for the past five years, have rebuilt the VH1 brand and produced powerful hit franchises from Black Ink Crew and Love & Hip Hop to RuPaul’s Drag Race. As Chris and his team continue to focus on integrating SHOWTIME and globalising the Media Networks Group, they’ll also partner with the BET teams to continue producing several of the existing hit shows on VH1.”
VH1 reaches approximately 90m households in the US but has gradually been phased out or rebranded with MTV variants around the world. BET, however, is going strong as a channel and streaming brand. Streaming service BET+ was launched as a JV between Paramount and Tyler Perry Studios in 2019, and has been growing fast.
Monday, October 24, 2022
Paramount Africa's Future Is Up In The Air As Several Of Their Websites Have Shut Down
For several months, Nicktoons has become a waste featuring mostly SpongeBob SquarePants and The Casagrandes with the Nick Jr. block adopting to a similar format with Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol. Basically, it appears as if Paramount is ready to call it quits.
But that's not the only thing that seems bizarre about Paramount as several brands ranging from Comedy Central, MTV, BET and Nickelodeon all once operated a regional site which gives you details about some of the content seen on the channel and was usually a place fans would engage.
Now just like Nicktoons, Paramount Africa's websites appears to have been discontinued as several consumers are redirected to a European based website.
Sure Paramount in Africa is managed by the folks in those regions but there is so much of a variation on which the company seems to have cut down with MTV and Nick Jr. But the brands in question had a lot of variation during their run.
Comedy Central, MTV Base and Nickelodeon have all been redirected to the Netherlands. Take into account, there's a slight variation aside from content there's the matter of language of which not a lot of viewers are very much familiar with.
Even the media sales website had been listed as spam or a rejected website which could be another indicator that Paramount is distancing their focus away from their linear channels and more to Paramount+.
Interesting to note, My5 a UK based streaming service is managing the once available BET Africa website. This is the brand that took away the linear feed to the channel within that region which kind of raises questions over Paramount's linear offering.
Although there's no definite release date, several Nickelodeon feeds (including Nicktoons and Nick Jr.) had been renewed through at least 2027 which is likely where Paramount MIGHT start pulling the cord on some if not all their linear channels.
I mean Asia did lose a Nickelodeon while as Latin America lost a Nicktoons perhaps a couple of feeds could join before that time but with the recent developments I wouldn't be all that shocked if Paramount followed their competitors in moving their content to streaming.
Links
Comedy Central: click here
MTV and MTV Base: click here
BET: click here
Could BET Africa Be Taking The Digital Plunge As My5 Is All That Is Left Of Former Website?
Last year, it was reported Paramount will be closing the black skewed entertainment channel BET in the UK as part of a digital approach set by the company in question and at the time questions amounted to the digital endeavours for audiences in Africa.
BET has been active in the African market through DStv since 2014 serving up shows like My Wife And Kids, Real Husbands Of Hollywood, Love And Hip-Hop, Black Ink Crew, All Of Us and Mary Mary.
Over the years, the channel had become a victim of a dry spell often struggling to source out fresher entertainment and relied solely on content already viewed on Paramount's other brands Comedy Central and MTV.
As seen in the UK, My5 (aka Channel 5) a black based streaming service happens to be the distributor of BET and appears to have taken possession of the African feed although the brand shows no signs of rolling out in the region.
Although the linear version of the brand is defunct in the UK the one in Africa seems unlikely to be shuttered for the foreseeable future or for as long as the upcoming streamer Paramount+ has yet to rollout in the region.
Paramount+ is set to leverage a lot of existing content from their linear counterparts and as seen with Nickelodeon it has practically become a graveyard to their programming which is where the current local offering on BET might as well sit.