Byron Allen and Tyler Perry eye BET as Paramount and discover majority stake sale – Deadline

UPDATED with Byron Allen’s curiosity: Byron Allen mentioned he desires to purchase BET as Paramount World is contemplating promoting the asset. He’s the second suitor after Tyler Perry who can also be mentioned to have expressed an curiosity.

“Byron Allen is all in favour of shopping for BET and can advance the acquisition of the community, a spokesman mentioned in a press release.

UNTIL NOW: Tyler Perry is eyeing BET Media as father or mother firm Paramount World appears at promoting a majority stake within the division.

Perry, who has an in depth relationship with BET CEO Scott Mills, in addition to Paramount World CEO Bob Bakish, has expressed curiosity in proudly owning the belongings to Paramount as his personal manufacturing take care of BET involves an finish. He gives a lot of the scripted content material on BET and BET+ and is a Paramount accomplice on the streaming service launched in 2019.

It’s early days and given BET’s iconic standing inside Black tradition and the Black artistic group, it could see curiosity from different Black excessive web price people or minority-owned establishments. An individual accustomed to the scenario mentioned Paramount would retain a minority stake in any deal, in addition to business agreements with BET for content material on its platforms.

Paramount has made clear its need to discover fundraising alternatives, together with an try and promote writer Simon & Shuster.

His transfer with BET Media was first reported in Wall Avenue Journal. The corporate declined to remark.

The division consists of the linear networks BET, BET+, BET Studios, which shaped in 2021 with companions Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones and Aaron Rashon Thomas, and VH1, which moved beneath the BET umbrella final 12 months.

Based in 1980 by Robert Johnson, BET or Black Leisure Tv was the primary cable channel to cater to a black viewers. It was acquired by Viacom in 2001 for $3 billion.

Paramount’s $2.2 billion deal to promote guide writer Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random Home fell by means of over regulatory considerations, however it has made it clear that it’s a non-core asset and stays out there . In recent times, it bought the CBS NYC headquarters generally known as Black Rock and the CNet web site. It turned down affords for Showtime and introduced different plans for that asset, particularly to merge with Paramount+ in streaming and linear tv.

As its father or mother firm transitions to streaming, it’s spending closely on content material like most main media corporations and expects peak losses in that enterprise this 12 months.

The corporate declined to remark. Par’s normal curiosity in promoting a majority stake in BET was first reported in The Wall Avenue Journal.

The conversations surrounding BET come as M&A chatter heats up throughout varied media and leisure sectors. Lachlan Murdoch just lately mentioned that Fox Corp. will actively pursue it, WME is making an attempt to promote itself, Hulu could also be up for grabs, and Cineworld is advertising and marketing its international cinema belongings to emerge from chapter, to call a couple of.

Supply