BET HITS A RATINGS HIGH TUESDAY NIGHT WITH OVER 2.1 MILLION VIEWERS TUNING IN TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE GROUNDBREAKING SAGA “BEING MARY JANE” AND THE BEGINNING OF ITS NEW NETWORK HIT “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY”
04/24/19
BET’S ACCLAIMED ORIGINAL DRAMA “BEING MARY JANE” HELMS AS BET’S HIGHEST ORIGINAL TELECAST OF FISCAL YEAR 2019
THE JUICY MUST-SEE PREMIERE OF “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” RANKS AS BET’S HIGHEST ORIGINAL DEBUT OF FISCAL YEAR 2019
New York, NY – April 24, 2019 – BET’s Tuesday night scripted series delivered ratings success with the series finale of “Being Mary Jane,” and the new series premiere of “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY.” The night grossed 2.1 Million viewers 2+ during premiere night across premieres and encores.* (EDAC cumulative impressions for premieres & encores across BET and BET Her on 4/23/19)*. After four riveting seasons, “BEING MARY JANE” fans sent off Mary Jane Paul off in style and finally got their question answered of can she truly “have it all?” Starring Gabrielle Union, the fan-favorite grossed 768k total viewers P2+(on BET alone); .563 P18-49 rating, 842k total viewers P2+ (EDAC across BET and BET Her on 4/23/19)*. Immediately after the epic two-hour series finale film, the network retained 99% of the P+2 audience and introduced them to its new sexy, stylized drama about the L.A. high life, where everyone plays to win, “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY.” Starring Lauren London, new hit-series garnered 760k total viewers P2+(on BET alone); .485 P18-49 rating, 826k total viewers P2+ (EDAC across BET and BET Her on 4/23/19).*
On Social, “BEING MARY JANE” and “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” reigned at the top of the charts. The long-awaited return of “BEING MARY JANE” had fans talking up the finale on all platforms making the series the #1 trending topic in the U.S. from 9p-Midnight ET. “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” also peaked at #2 on Twitter in the US and became the #1 most social episode across primetime cable on Tuesday night (4/23).**
New Episodes of “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” return next week at its regular time of 9 PM ET/PT followed by the Network premiere of “Ladies Night” at 10 PM ET/PT on BET.
About “BEING MARY JANE”
Starring Gabrielle Union, the movie event boasts an all-star cast including Michael Ealy, Morris Chestnut, Lisa Vidal, Richard Roundtree, Margaret Avery, Richard Brooks, BJ Britt, Raven Goodwin, and Nicholas Gonzalez. “BEING MARY JANE” bowed out with the same authentic voice that resonated with fans and made them fall in love with Mary Jane. The "BEING MARY JANE" series finale movie resumed with the fallout between Mary Jane and Justin (Michael Ealy) that closed season four. "BEING MARY JANE" is executive produced by Gabrielle Union, Mara Brock Akil, Salim Akil, and Jeff Morrone. The finale is executive produced by Devon K. Shepard and co-executive produced by Patrik-Ian Polk and Alexander A. Motlagh. Writers of the finale are Polk, Shepard and Alyson Fouse and the movie was directed by Adam Shankman. The series was created by Mara Brock Akil.
About “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY”
Starring Lauren London, Sarunas J. Jackson, Parker McKenna Posey, Karen Obilom and Jackie Long, “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” is a sexy, stylized drama about the L.A. high life, where everyone plays to win. Based on the popular book by Angela Burt-Murray “Games Divas Play,” “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” follows a desperate basketball wife trying to protect her family, a tenacious journalist struggling to rebuild a tarnished career, and a scandalous groupie looking to become a star, who all find it is murder trying to stay on top. “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY," returns next week at its regular time of 9 PM ET/PT followed by the Network premiere of “Ladies Night” at 10 PM ET/PT on BET. “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” is executive produced by Tracey Edmonds (“Soul Food”) of Edmonds Entertainment, along with Angela Burt-Murray serving as executive producer. Vanessa Middleton and Kim Newton serve as co-showrunners and executive producers for the series.
For more information on “BEING MARY JANE” and “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY” including exclusive video content and more visit BET.com and continue the conversation using the series hashtags #BeingMaryJane and #GamesPeoplePlay.
*Source: Nielsen Fast Nationals. Live + Same Day | Nielsen Social Guide, 4/23/19, accessed 4/24/19, Filters = Primetime, Cable, Exclude Sports Events/Content
*Source: Twitter, 4/23 – 4/24
ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA) (NASDAQ: VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in nearly 85 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, France and South Korea. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER (formerly CENTRIC), a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.
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Contacts:
Luis Defrank
212-205-3156
Giovanna Desselle
310-481-3872
MEDIA CONTACT FOR “BEING MARY JANE”
Danielle Davis
212-205-3028
[email protected]
MEDIA CONTACTS FOR “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY”:
Danielle Davis
212-205-3028
[email protected]
Chloe Williams
212-205-3225
[email protected]
