2022 BET Awards Viewership Was Up 34% From Last Year’s Ceremony
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
This year’s BET Awards experienced a boost from last year’s numbers, drawing in 3.2 million viewers across a simulcast of 10 Paramount Global networks on Sunday.
This marks a 34% jump in viewership from 2021, when BET’s in-person ceremony brought in only 2.4 million viewers across multiple outlets. In comparison, the 2020 BET Awards (which were held virtually) averaged 3.7 million people, in large part due to simulcasting with CBS. (CBS didn’t return as a partner in 2021 or 2022.)
More from Variety
BET averaged 2.1 million viewers out of this year’s total 3.2 million. The rest of the viewership came from other Paramount cablers including Comedy Central, MTV, TV Land and VH1. According to BET, the ceremony is also the No. 1 awards show on cable in the key adults 18-49 demographic, while also becoming the best-performing telecast ever on BET’s digital platforms, with 103 million social views.
Taraji P. Henson hosted the BET Awards, with top honors going to artists such as Silk Sonic, Jazmine Sullivan, Kirk Franklin and Tems took top honors. The stage lineup included Lizzo performing “About Damn Time” as well as a tribute to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who took home the BET Lifetime Achievement Award. The tribute featured Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Nas and Lil’ Kim, along with a surprise appearance from Kanye West. Among the other prominent moments of the night were Jack Harlow’s appearance in a Lil Nas X T-shirt to protest his friend and collaborator’s exclusion from the nominations, as well as the several artists who spoke out onstage or on the rep carpet about the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade.
An encore presentation of the BET Awards will air on June 30 at 9 p.m. on BET.
VIP+ Analysis: Does the Data Show Awards Ratings Are Really Up?
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
