All Eyes Were on the 2016 “BET Awards” – 7.2MM Total Viewers

*STAY TUNED MONDAY JULY 4TH FOR UB’s “BET AWARDS 2016” EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE*

The LIVE premiere of the 2016 “BET AWARDS” on Sunday, June 26, is now the #1 Cable Awards Show among P18-49 for the 2015/2016 Broadcast Season, claiming the #1 spot for the 2nd consecutive year. Additionally, the 2016 “BET AWARDS” continued its reign as television’s #1 Awards Show among African Americans 18-49; a title the show has held for 15 consecutive years (‘02-’16 on BET alone). The premiere telecast of the 2016 “BET AWARDS” drew 7.2 million Total Viewers, as it was simulcast live across 12 Viacom networks including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Logo, Spike and Centric – making it the largest simulcast of a Viacom-owned awards ceremony yet. The premiere telecast garnered a 4.27 P18-49 rating across 12 Viacom Networks, up +15% versus last year. The historic Viacom multi-channel event gave the 2016 “BET AWARDS” it’s largest reach in franchise history with the show reaching 22MM total viewers across 12 networks, up by a whopping +81% versus last year. BET stormed the airwaves as the network broadcast live for nearly 7 hours with the BET Pre-Show (6-8 p.m. EST); the 2016 “BET AWARDS” premiere (8 p.m. – 11:38 p.m. EST) which garnered 4.5MM Total Viewers P2+ and a 2.77 P18-49 rating in the demo; followed by the BET Post-Show (11:38 p.m.-12:38 a.m. EST). For the eighth consecutive year, the Awards also dominated the day as the #1 Ad-Supported Cable Telecast for the Day among ALL Adults 18-49 (2009-2016, Excludes Sports & non-English Networks). Recognizing artists, entertainers, and athletes in over 20 categories, the 2016 “BET AWARDS”aired live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Returning for a second year, the “BET AWARDS” was hosted by power pair Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson, stars of the hit show “Black-ish.” The night kicked off with a surprise performance from Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, and also featured a series of highly-anticipated tributes to the late music icon, Prince, including unforgettable performances from Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Maxwell, Janelle Monae, and Prince-protégé Sheila E. Spike Lee presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Samuel L. Jackson, while “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams brought the crowd to its feet as he delivered an impassioned acceptance speech for this year’s Humanitarian Award. Additional highlights included performances from Alicia Keys, Usher, Bryson Tiller and Future; as well as appearances by Taraji P. Henson, Jamie Foxx, Dave Chappelle, Spike Lee, Nate Parker and Gabrielle Union.

The live telecast of 2016 “BET AWARDS” was the #1 Most Social Program of the night, as fans were engaged on multiple platforms for entertainment’s hottest night, including Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Vine, and Tumblr. #BETAWARDS dominated the Twitter conversation throughout the night with 17 of the top 20 trends being related to the show, at various points throughout the night; with Jesse Williams reaching the #1 trending spot. A total of 3,446,905 Tweets about “2016 BET Awards” were generated by 623,099 people in the U.S. (Source:Nielsen). Of the 3MM+ Tweets, there were nearly 1MM reactions, translating to 1,287.4 reactions per minute (Source:Canvs). On Facebook, BET Awards was a top trend since Friday, June 24. A total of 4 of the top 10 trends on Facebook in the 24 hours surrounding the show were BET Awards related, including #PrinceTribute, Beyonce and Jesse Williams. Additionally, the night saw 50MM plays of BET Awards gifs, according to Giphy.

Driven by the incredible series of buzzworthy moments, BET Digital also enjoyed an impressive uptick across its online and mobile platforms. The “BET AWARDS” site saw a 50% year-over-year rise in overall unique visitor traffic, while mobile video views of BET Awards content increased a staggering 200%+. On BET.com, overall mobile video views increased an impressive 172% year-over-year, and the site had an 82% year-over-year lift in overall unique visitor traffic. In another first, the newly-launched BET Play app brought the star-studded event to fans in 100 countries around the world.

For the fourth consecutive year, the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola® attracted thousands of visitors to the downtown Los Angeles area for a 4-day music, comedy and entertainment festival. The overall attendance of the mega-event reached 165,000 fans, marking a 10% increase over 2015. The BET Experience trended for multiple days on Instagram starting Friday, June 24th, and continuing through Sunday evening, June 26th; it also reached the #4 trend spot on Twitter on Saturday. Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the FREE Fan Fest included a series of family-friendly interactive activations; dynamic live concerts from today’s hottest artists such as Desiigner, O.T. Genasis, Ro James and Fat Joe; Genius Talks powered by AT&T including DJ Khaled, Kirk Franklin, Gabrielle Union, Snoop Dogg, Birdman and Jermaine Dupri; Gospel Showcase and special broadcast editions of “106 & Park: Live from the 2016 BET Experience.” The BET Experience also featured fan-favorite Sprite® Celebrity Basketball Game & Dunk Contest, as well as thrilling nightly concerts at STAPLES Center from A-list artists including Usher, Bryson Tiller, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Fetty Wap, Ty Dolla $ign, Katt Williams, and Mike Epps.