Billed as a tribute to Michael Jackson the weekend following his death – and including a statement to fans from Janet Jackson – the “BET Awards ’09” drew 10.65 million viewers. That’s the biggest audience ever for BET and the biggest cable telecast so far this year.
“The number of viewers who tuned in to see the BET Awards ’09 is a testament to Michael Jackson’s far-reaching and long-lasting influence and legacy,” said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO, BET Networks. “We’re thankful to everyone who played a role in the show, both on stage and behind the camera, and it meant so much to all of us to be there for our audience at this emotional time. Above all, we extend our love and prayers to the Jackson family and are honored that Joe and Janet Jackson were in attendance,” she added.
BET.com saw a 100% increase in its unique users versus the BET Awards ’08 day of show, and had the best two-day total for unique users in BET.com history for the day of show and day after. June 2009 is now the #1 month all time for unique users and page views for BET.com, due to the significant interest in Michael Jackson and the strength of the BET Awards ’09.
Given that success, BET has scheduled some reruns of the show.
Encore telecasts of the BET Awards ’09 are set for:
Tuesday, June 30 from 6:30-10:00 p.m.*
Thursday, July 2 from 8:00-11:30 p.m.*
Monday, July 6 from 8:00-11:30 p.m.*
*All times ET/PT
