Johannesburg, 1 July 2016: Black Coffee’s inspiring win at the 2016 BET Awards prompted more South African fans than ever before to tune into the show’s premiere on BET (DStv channel 129) on Tuesday night, with the channel achieving its highest ever ratings since launching across Africa in April 2015.
The epic celebration of black culture and music, which took place in LA on Sunday night, saw big wins by Drake, Beyoncé and Bryson Tiller, while Sheila E, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Erykah Badu, Tori Kelly, Janelle Monae and The Roots united to honour the late great Prince with powerful renditions of his greatest hits.
Commented Monde Twala, Vice President, BET, Youth & Music, Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa, “BET achieved a 1.93 rating in our 20-49 core demographic, over 20 percent higher than combined ratings achieved last year for the BET Awards2015 on BET AND BET2. The BET Awards 2016 was watched by 54,000 more viewers than the premiere of the BET Awards 2015 last year.”
Continues Twala, “The BET Awards is more than just an awards show. It is true testimony that hard word, passion and dedication pays off, and proof that African artists as exemplified by Black Coffee have the quality and talent to shine amongst the best in the world.”
During this year’s BET Awards, Beyoncé shocked the packed house when she opened the show with Kendrick Lamar in a first-ever LIVE television performance of “Freedom.”
Returning hosts Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross had the crowd in hysterics with their hilarious opening spoof of the Tony award-winning musical “Hamilton” infusing some of today’s hottest songs including “Panda”, “Cut It” and “Down in the DM.”
In one of the evening’s many tributes to Prince, Stevie Wonder sang alongside Tori Kelly to “Take Me With U.” The audience stayed on their feet as Jennifer Hudson followed them onto the stage, blowing the crowd away with an emotional and breathtaking performance of “Purple Rain.”
A perfect ending to an evening of celebratory tributes, Sheila E. shut the house down with an electrifying performance, featuring a medley of Prince classics including “Erotic City,” “Let’s Work”, “U Got the Look”, “A Love Bizarre”, “Glamorous Life”, and “Baby I’m A Star.”
Russian Bear is the official South Africa sponsor of the BET Awards 2016.
For more information on the BET Awards, visit www.betafrica.tv, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BETinAfrica, or join the conversation about the channel on Twitter and Instagram @BET_Africa using the hashtag #BETAwards16.
About BET Africa
Launched Africa 2015, BET Africa is part of the diverse multimedia entertainment portfolio of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa. Celebrating African and African-American culture, BET Africa is available exclusively on the DStv platform and includes the dynamic online destination www.betafrica.tv.
About “BET Awards”
The “BET Awards” is one of the most watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET’s #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.