The Power of BET

AdAge magazine (reporting under the Madison+Vine section) has an intriguing report on the influence and money-making abilities of the BET Awards as well as the shrinking media landscape for reaching African American consumers, as one industry player puts it. Viacom has been emphasizing BET's strong future prospects.

AdAge's Andrew Hampp reports today (June 19):

The BET Awards, airing June 24 on BET, have emerged as the de facto Super Bowl for the African-American audience. With integrated sponsors such as Procter & Gamble, Target, Dodge and Verizon banking more of their TV and digital dollars than ever on BET's weeklong coverage of the event, it's a testament to the network's growth as a destination for young black audiences as well as to just how depleted the rest of the TV universe's diversity resources have gotten in recent years.

In other news, Fmr. Rep. JC Watts is leading a team to create the Black Television News Channel.