The live premiere of the "THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS" on Sunday, February 11 owned social, with over 16 million impressions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Rising as the #1 most social cable special of February 2018, the inaugural awards show had the millennial audience on lock on all screens making it the #1 cable special of CY 18 for African-American millennials 18-34**. Additionally, “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS” garnered 2.2MM video views across BET’s social platforms.* Hosted by Michael Blackson “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS” delivered a night packed with thrilling performances and unforgettable moments from Erykah Badu, Tony Rock, Justin Combs, Amanda Seales, DC Young Fly, Reginae Carter, YFN Lucci, Symone Sanders, Kash Doll, Blame it on Kway, Lala SizaHands, Amara La Negra, Jess Hilarious and many more. Executive produced by Mike Epps, this first-of-its-kind awards show celebrated all things social media over the past year.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180214006376/en/

The BET Social Awards host Michael Blackson hits the stage at Tyler Perry Studio on February 11, 201 ...

The BET Social Awards host Michael Blackson hits the stage at Tyler Perry Studio on February 11, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)

The high-energy social media celebration was a top trending topic for the entirety of the show surging on all social media platforms. The BET It Girls: Jasmine Luv, Leomie Anderson, Sandra Lambeck and Jasmin Brown gave viewers and all-access pass to “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS” weekend garnering a total of 133.4MM Impressions across Twitter and Instagram***. The BET It Girls took their followers into ultimate VIP adventures through Atlanta culminating with a full 360 degree Facebook LIVE look at “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS”. Additionally, after Amanda Seale’s #BlackGirlMagic spoken word performance, there was a 257% spike in searches for “Black Girl Magic” on Google and Youtube.com.

On Desktop and Mobile web, “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS” gained +179% growth in Video Views vs. same time period last year. Including the BET App and OTT, Video Views experienced a +84% increase vs. same time period last year. (Source: Adobe Analytics, Social Awards, Same Day (Sunday): 2/11/18 vs. 2/12/17).

In case you missed the show or a few seconds during the LIVE telecast due to equipment failure that got quickly resolved, watch all the must see moments now at BET.com/Social and on social platforms by following the hashtag #BETSocialAwards.

For a list of winners, performances and must-see moments visit www.bet.com/Social. Join the conversation on all social media platforms by using the hashtag: #BETSocialAwards.

Produced by BET Networks, “THE BET SOCIAL AWARDS” was executive produced by Mike Epps, Kyra Robinson and Eric Conte.

*(Source: Tubular Labs and Twitter Analytics, published videos 2/10-2/13/18)

**(Source: Linear- Nielsen. Live + Same Day. Measurement Period(s): CY18: 1/1/18-2/11/18 and BET Social Awards’18 premiere on 2/11/18 (vs. Prior 4 Weeks). Specials stat includes specials only. Ranked on Impressions (000)s. | Social- Nielsen Social Content Ratings. Specials only. 2017-18 Season (9/25/17-2/11/18). Ranked on Total Social Media Interactions.)

***(source: Obvious.ly. Twitter + Instagram Campaign over 4-day period: 2/9-2/12/18).

ABOUT BET NETWORKS

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, 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.