BET Chairwoman Deborah Lee leaves the networks

DEBRA LEE To Step Down As Chairman &

Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks

NEW YORK — After a trailblazing career in television and entertainment spanning over 30 years at BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc.  Debra Lee is stepping down from her position as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET Networks, effective Monday, May 28, 2018. Lee, who began her career with the company as its first VP and General Counsel in 1986, was elevated to President and COO in 1996 and became Chairman and CEO in 2005.

Lee’s determination to make a real difference and give back greatly influenced BET Networks’ reinvigorated approach to developing authentic programming that both entertains and inspires the African-American community.  She worked tirelessly to raise the consciousness of viewers by respecting, reflecting and elevating the BET Networks audiences in a meaningful way.  During Lee’s time at the helm, the network has enjoyed record-breaking success, including the 2014 series premiere of “The Game,” the most-watched sitcom premiere in cable TV history with 7.68 million viewers, and the 2017 hit mini-series “The New Edition Story,” which brought in 28.4 million viewers from the initial run through subsequent encores, making it the highest-rated TV biopic of all time. On Lee’s watch she oversaw the launch of the Network’s website, BET.com, developed BET Her, the first network for African-American women, and acquired television rights to “BLACK GIRLS ROCK”!™ Lee also launched Leading Women Defined, an annual conference where notable African American women, including Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Venus Williams, Issa Rae and Erykah Badu, to name a few, gathered each year for insightful debates and conversations on issues that impact their community and families. Additionally, she championed BET’s breast cancer campaign “BET Goes Pink,” the education platform “BET Next Level,” award-winning voting campaign “BET Vote Your Voice” and several telethons for Florida, Haiti and Katrina under the “SOS: Saving OurSelves” initiative.

Lee’s focus on diverse, high-quality scripted programming that positively highlights the African-American experience has set BET Networks apart from other brands desperate to reach the coveted black audience. Shows such as “Being Mary Jane,” “The Real Husbands of Hollywood,” and “In Contempt” have helped BET Networks remain the #1 network among African-American viewers for the past 17 years.  Lee’s commitment to music and live entertainment led to the creation of one of the most popular award shows on television, “The BET Awards,” as well as the launch of the first festival weekend under the Viacom umbrella, The BET Experience. Her impact on the music industry led her to become the first woman to date to receive the Recording Academy’s prestigious Salute to Industry Icons Award.

Following her departure from the company, Lee, a well-respected industry executive, plans to stay involved in the media industry and continue her role on corporate and non-profit boards. In addition, Lee also plans to continue her commitment to diversity and inclusion by advancing the rights of women and girls as well as people of color through her work with Times Up and The Recording Academy Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, to name a few. Lee’s annual gathering of prominent African American women, Leading Women Defined, will also continue under her leadership.

Debra Lee Statement:

“In 1986 I joined BET Networks to be its very first in-house counsel. As a young corporate attorney I saw my role as the protector of the BET brand and its employees and today, more than 32 years later, I still see myself as the protector and defender of a brand that I have helped to grow as a top destination for audiences across the globe. I have called BET Networks home for over three decades and this team is part of my extended family.”