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BET's Lil' Kim is #1 Original Series on Cable Among Black Households in 2006
Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lock Down Sets New Viewership Mark
as Most-Watched Series Debut in BET Network History
WASHINGTON, March 14 -- When it comes to reality programming,
there's one simple fact -- when BET builds it, the audience will come. BET
again proved this theory correct with a gigantic launch last Thursday of the
new reality series LIL' KIM: COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN. Tracking the final 14
days of freedom of hip-hop diva Lil' Kim before she entered prison on a
perjury conviction, COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN premiered to a whopping 1.9 million
viewers nationally (1.7 rating; 1.4 million households), easily becoming the
most-watched series debut in BET's 25-year history. The new show also zoomed
to the rank of #1 Original Series on Cable among Black households so far in
2006. A six-episode docu-drama produced in collaboration with Edmonds
Entertainment and Queen Bee Entertainment, COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN televises on
Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
"When we showed the first episode of LIL' KIM to test audiences, we got
the highest scores in the history of the company. So when it became the
biggest series debut in the history of the network, I wasn't surprised," said
Reginald Hudlin, BET President of Entertainment. "As powerful as the first
episode is, the series finale is even better. I'm pleased and relieved that
my first new series on BET has become a 'must see' for so many people. I'm
grateful to Edmonds Entertainment for delivering another great show for the
network, and to the entire team at BET for fantastic work in every
department."
Lil' Kim is one of the most celebrated rappers in the business, as well as
one of the most intriguing and glamorous stars in entertainment. BET's
cameras were allowed full access to Lil' Kim, her entourage and family before
she headed off to a maximum-security prison in Pennsylvania on a conviction
for false testimony to a federal grand jury about a shootout involving members
of her posse outside a New York City radio station. Lil' Kim was sentenced to
one year and a day for protecting friends involved in the 2001 incident.
BET viewers ride along with the rap diva and fashion icon as she sorts out
her business and legal affairs, makes her last few public appearances to
promote her new CD, shoots a video, attends fashion week, shops, hits the
party scene and says goodbye to friends and family before turning herself over
to federal authorities. The cameras also capture her private moments as Lil'
Kim attempts to come to grips with who she is and where she's headed.
ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: 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 reaches more than 80 million households according to Nielsen media
research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET
is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of
businesses extensions: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African
Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop,
attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event
Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home
Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment
including DVDs and video-on-demand; and BET Mobile, a service venture into the
lucrative world of ring tones, games and video content for wireless devices.
SOURCE BET (Black Entertainment Television)
Web Site: http://www.bet.com
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