Several news reports alleged that Tyler Perry acquired BET from Paramount Global in mid-June. Although reliable sources admitted in previous months that the media mogul expressed interest, the actual details of a purchase have not been confirmed by the parties involved.
If a deal is to be made, Perry is high on the totem pole of potential owners given his current relationship with the company formerly known as Viacom.
Not only did he test the waters by partnering with Paramount Pictures for the Tiffany Haddish led film Nobody’s Fool and create Young Dylan for Nickelodeon, another subsidiary of Paramount Global, but he also created a whole slate of entertainment content for BET and it’s streaming peer, BET+. Currently, his joint itinerary with the 40-year old network founded by Robert L. Johnson includes All the Queen’s Men, Sistas, and Ruthless, to name a few.
“I think there was sadness when Bob sold it, and I think there’ll be happiness when it’s Black-owned again,” said Perry in an interview with ET. “Even though Shari (Redstone) and — what is it, Viacom and Paramount? They’ve done a phenomenal job with it. They didn’t let it fall by the wayside. They didn’t let it go into dust. They nurtured it and took care of it and to see Shari at this position saying, ‘I think it should be returned to a Black owner?’ I figured, ‘OK, see, that’s, that’s my kind of person.'”
Perry has not been the only contender rumored to seek acquisition of BET. Media mogul Byron Allen, recording artist and Power universe executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Revolt TV and Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs, and even LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson, have all been included in the circulating conversation surrounding the potential acquisition.
