BET Awards Ratings Down Double Digits

The BET Awards took a hit this year as viewership and ratings were down double digits for the annual show, according to a report. The show aired live, June 25th, and was hosted by comedian Leslie Jones. The show saw was a 3.47 rating among adults 18-49 over the nine Viacom nets and 5.8 million viewers for its debut airing on Sunday. Reportedly, that’s down 19% in the key demo and 19% in viewers from what the record breaking 2016 BET Awards drew on June 26, 2016 when it was shown on a total of 12 Viacom outlets. Starz’s Power, premiered during the award show, and was the second most watched show on premium cable. The series had a strong fourth season premiere up against the second hour of the BET Awards.
Running from 8 PM – 12 AM ET, the 2017 Awards scored 3.8 million sets of eyeballs and a 2.3 rating among in the 18-49s on BET itself. In the primetime time period of 8 – 11 PM, the show from downtown L.A.s Microsoft Theatre pulled in a rating of 1.5 according to Nielsen. While topping the night on cable, the 2017 BET Awards were down 21% among adults 18-49 from the results of the 2016 show in primetime.
Meanwhile, the awards show did extremely well on social media. It was the top Social Program of the Week and #1 Most Social Cable Special of 2017 on a combo of Facebook and Twitter with 10.5 million interactions.
The LIVE premiere of the 2017 “BET AWARDS” on Sunday, June 25, is now the #1 Cable Awards Show among P18-49 for the 2017 broadcast season, claiming the #1 spot for the third consecutive year. Additionally, the 2017 “BET AWARDS” continued its reign as television’s #1 Cable Awards Show among African Americans 18-49 – retaining the title for 16 consecutive years (‘02-’17 on BET alone). The best-in-class show ranked as the #1 TV Show on its Premiere Night among P18-49, as well as the #1 Ad-Supported Cable Show on Premiere Day (10 Years Straight among P18-49). Filled with buzzworthy moments, the 2017 “BET AWARDS” dominated social media as the #1 Most Social Program of the entire week, with a total of 10.5MM Total Interactions across Facebook and Twitter [Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, Weekly Report (6/19-6/25/17) Linear Episodes ranked on Total Interactions].
The premiere telecast of the 2017 “BET AWARDS” drew 5.8MM Total Viewers P2+ (EDAC) , as it was simulcast live across 9 Viacom networks including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Logo, Spike and Centric. In total, the 2017 “BET AWARDS” premiere reached 18.1MM P2+ and 8.5MM P18-49 (Awards only; EDAC). The premiere telecast garnered a 3.47 P18-49 (EDAC) rating across 9 Viacom Networks. Fans were treated to an immersive experience as the network broadcast live for seven hours including the BET Pre-Show (6-8 p.m. EST) and BET Post-Show (12 a.m. – 1 a.m. EST); as well as the 2017 “BET AWARDS” premiere (8 p.m. –12 a.m. EST) which garnered 3.8MM Total Viewers P2+ and a 2.3 P18-49 rating in the demo, on the network. Recognizing artists, entertainers, and athletes in over 20 categories, the 2017 “BET AWARDS” aired live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.*
BET Social Media blazed social timelines on multiple platforms with viewers documenting every moment of this celebrity filled and unforgettable night. The live telecast of 2017 “BET AWARDS” reigns again as the #1 Most Social Program of the WEEK and #1 Most Social Cable Special of 2017 [#3 on all TV; excluding political events]. A total of 10.5MM Total Interactions across Facebook and Twitter about “BET AWARDS” were generated by 3MM people in the U.S. On Snapchat, the event generated 53 MM Impressions (plays and views) of the custom BET Awards lens, as BET’s hyper-engaged fans shared their snaps in real-time.
“BET AWARDS” continues to have an impassioned fanbase on Twitter, generating more interactions per person (7.1) than top broadcast specials. The 2017 “BET AWARDS” was also the #1 Most Social Episode of the Day on 6/25/17 (10.5MM). Black Twitter proved its mighty influence again as BET now has the Top 4 Most Social Cable Specials on Twitter of 2017 with “BET Awards” and “The New Edition Story”! [Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings]
BET Digital’s metrics soared across its sites and apps with engaging must-see “BET AWARDS” content. Video views grew an impressive +202% on BET.com and +145% across BET’s TV-Everywhere and Connected Device Apps (vs. day of awards prior year). BET’s first global live stream on Twitter, BET Awards Backstage: Access Granted, hosted by comedians, Chris Spencer (“Real Husbands of Hollywood”) and Zainab Johnson (“Def Comedy Jam”), garnered 1.6MM unique viewers during the live airing. The BET Experience App saw significant growth in engagement and users versus last year as well (May 1 – day of awards, same time period for last year) with 27% more downloads, 105% more sessions and an average session time of 7 minutes. [Source: Adobe Analytics]
The 2017 “BET AWARDS” was hosted by comedian and actress Leslie Jones, of “Saturday Night Live” fame, in her first major award show hosting role. The night kicked off with an electrifying performance from Bruno Mars, and featured the highly-anticipated reunion performance of 90s R&B group, Xscape, as members Kandi Burruss and Tameka “Tiny” Cottle showed that they still have it. Original boy band superstars, New Edition, took home the Lifetime Achievement Award, and were honored with a showstopping tribute performance from the full cast of BET’s smash biopic “The New Edition Story” that brought the crowd to its feet. In a special surprise taped message, former First Lady Michelle Obama introduced this year’s Humanitarian Award to Chance the Rapper, who has raised over two million dollars for public schools in his hometown of Chicago. Additional highlights included performances from Chris Brown, Migos, DJ Khaled, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Future; as well as appearances by Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, Issa Rae, Yara Shahidi, Solange Knowles, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, and Jada Pinkett Smith. For a list of winners, performances and must-see moments visit www.bet.com/betawards.
For the fifth 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. 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 Cardi B, Young M.A., Dave East and PnB Rock; Genius Talks powered by AT&T including Issa Rae, Ava DuVernay, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Nick Cannon; Gospel Showcase and special broadcast editions of “106 & Park: Live from the 2017 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 DJ Khaled, Snoop, Bryson Tiller, Migos, Wiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane, A$AP Rocky, and Desiigner.
Official sponsors of the 2017 “B ET AWARDS” included Coca-Cola®, sponsor of the Viewer’s Choice Award for Favorite Song of the Year, and #BET Instastar Contest; Nissan North America, Inc., sponsor of the BET Music Stage and red carpet; Walmart, sponsor of the Humanitarian Award; and My Black is Beautiful, sponsor of Shine a Light Honorees.
The 2017 “BET AWARDS” took place in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater, along with the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola from June 22-25. The show aired live on Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 8 p.m. EST/PST.
An additional encore viewing of the “BET AWARDS” 2017 aired immediately following the Post-show at 12:00am EST. Fans can catch additional airings on Tuesday, June 27th at 4pm EST, Thursday, June 29th at 8pm, and Saturday, July 1st at 1:30pm.
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