BET Networks Announces Official Nominees for the 2016 "BET Awards"

Drake Dominates with Nine Nominations While Beyoncé and Rihanna Follow with Five Each

Exclusive Willdabeast Dance Video Announces Three Categories

"BET Awards" to Air Live on Sunday, June 26 from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles at 8 P.M. ET

#BETAWARDS

NEW YORK -- BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the nominations for the 2016 "BET Awards," taking place at Microsoft Theater on Sunday, June 26. This year's broadcast marks 16 years of spectacular performances, must-see moments, outstanding talent, and exquisite music: from Alicia Keys performing during the Prince Lifetime Achievement Award tribute and Michael Jackson taking the stage with James Brown to Beyoncé catering to Terrence Howard and the reuniting of The Fugees, the "BET Awards" has set the standard for can't miss specials.

Drake leads the list of entertainers with an impressive nine nominations including 'Best Male Hip Hop Artist,' 'Video of the Year,' and 'Best Collaboration' for his hit "Where Ya At" with fellow hip hop artist Future. Beyoncé and Rihanna follow with five nods each. Beyoncé is nominated for top nods of the night including 'Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,' 'Video of the Year,' and 'Best Collaboration' for "Feeling Myself" with Nicki Minaj. Rihanna is in the running for awards including 'Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,' 'Video of the Year,' and 'Best Collaboration,' for "Work" featuring Drake. Other nominees include newcomer Bryson Tiller who is up for four awards including 'Best Male R&B/Pop Artist.' Chris Brown is nominated for the same number including 'Best Male R&B/Pop Artist' and 'Video Director of the Year.' Future could also walk away with four awards including 'Best Male Hip Hop Artist' and the 'Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award.'

For the first time ever, BET has enlisted renowned choreographer Will "WilldaBeast" Adams to create an exclusive, high energy video exclusively announcing three of the categories. Alongside his choreography partner Janelle Ginestra, a special compilation has been produced with clips of songs honoring artists nominated for 'Best Collaboration,' 'Best Male Hip Hop Artist,' and 'Best Female Hip Hop Artist.' Dancers and friends from WilldaBeast's ImmaBEAST dance company are featured in the video which can be viewed here. The video has over sixteen pieces of choreography including special appearances by some of the biggest names in dance including China Taylor, Taylor Hatala, and even a cameo from "Black-ish" star Miles Brown.

BET Networks recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across over 20 categories with the 2016 "BET Awards" nominations. The nominations are selected by BET's Voting Academy, which is comprised of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts.

"These nominees represent depth and diversity in achievement over the past year and we look forward to recognizing them next month," said Stephen Hill, BET's President of Programming. "This show will be innovative and special; in addition to celebrating the best in entertainment, we'll also spend time throughout the show remembering Prince as only BET can. You can count on memorable performances and moments in honor of a true legend."

The complete list of nominees for the 2016 "BET Awards" are:

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
ADELE
ANDRA DAY
BEYONCÉ
K. MICHELLE
RIHANNA

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
BRYSON TILLER
CHRIS BROWN
JEREMIH
THE WEEKND
TYRESE

Best Group
2 CHAINZ & LIL WAYNE
DRAKE & FUTURE
PUFF DADDY & THE FAMILY
RAE SREMMURD
THE INTERNET

Best Collaboration
BIG SEAN FT. CHRIS BROWN & TY DOLLA $IGN - PLAY NO GAMES
BIG SEAN FT. KANYE WEST & JOHN LEGEND - ONE MAN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
FUTURE FT. DRAKE - WHERE YA AT
NICKI MINAJ FT. BEYONCÉ - FEELING MYSELF
RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
DRAKE
FETTY WAP
FUTURE
J. COLE
KANYE WEST
KENDRICK LAMAR

Best Female Hip Hop Artist
DEJ LOAF
LIL KIM
MISSY ELLIOTT
NICKI MINAJ
REMY MA

Video of the Year
BEYONCÉ - FORMATION
BRYSON TILLER - DON'T
DRAKE - HOTLINE BLING
KENDRICK LAMAR - ALRIGHT
RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK

Video Director of the Year
BENNY BOOM
CHRIS BROWN
COLIN TILLEY & THE LITTLE HOMIES
DIRECTOR X
HYPE WILLIAMS

Best New Artist
ALESSIA CARA
ANDRA DAY
BRYSON TILLER
KEHLANI
TORY LANEZ

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
ANTHONY BROWN & GROUP THERAPY
ERICA CAMPBELL
KIRK FRANKLIN
LECRAE
TAMELA MANN
TASHA COBBS

Best Actress
GABRIELLE UNION
KERRY WASHINGTON
TARAJI P. HENSON
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS
VIOLA DAVIS

Best Actor
ANTHONY ANDERSON
COURTNEY B. VANCE
IDRIS ELBA
MICHAEL B. JORDAN
O'SHEA JACKSON JR.

YoungStars Award
AMANDLA STENBERG
QUVENZHANé WALLIS
SILENTÓ
WILLOW SMITH
YARA SHAHIDI

Best Movie
BEASTS OF NO NATION
CONCUSSION
CREED
DOPE
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Sportswoman of the Year
CHEYENNE WOODS
GABRIELLE DOUGLAS
SERENA WILLIAMS
SKYLAR DIGGINS
VENUS WILLIAMS

Sportsman of the Year
CAM NEWTON
KOBE BRYANT
LEBRON JAMES
ODELL BECKHAM JR.
STEPHEN CURRY

Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award
BEYONCÉ - FORMATION
BRYSON TILLER - DON'T
CHRIS BROWN - BACK TO SLEEP
DRAKE - HOTLINE BLING
FUTURE FT. DRAKE - WHERE YA AT
RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK

Centric Award
ANDRA DAY - RISE UP
BEYONCÉ - FORMATION
K. MICHELLE - NOT A LITTLE BIT
RIHANNA - BBHMM
THE INTERNET - UNDER CONTROL

Best International Act Africa
AKA (SOUTH AFRICA)
BLACK COFFEE (SOUTH AFRICA)
CASSPER NYOVEST (SOUTH AFRICA)
DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA)
MZVEE (Ghana)
SERGE BEYNAUD (COTE D'IVOIRE)
WIZKID (NIGERIA)
YEMI ALADE (NIGERIA)

Best International Act UK
KANO
KREPT & KONAN
LIANNE LA HAVAS
SKEPTA
STORMZY
TINIE TEMPAH

The 2016 "BET Awards" will premiere around the world on BET's international network. It will air in the UK on Tuesday, June 28th at 9:00pm BST, in Africa on Tuesday, June 28th at 7:00pm CAT, and in France on Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00pm CEST.

Stephen G. Hill, BET's President of Programming, Connie Orlando, BET's Senior Vice President of Music and Specials, Lynne Harris Taylor, BET's Vice President of Specials, will serve as Executive Producers for the "BET Awards" along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

The "BET Awards" will take place along with the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles from June 23-26, 2016. BET.com is the official site for the "BET Awards" and will have all the latest news and updates about this year's show. VIP Packages for the BET Experience weekend are now on-sale. In addition to VIP amenities throughout the weekend and incredible seats for the STAPLES Center shows, three levels of BETX VIP Packages offer guests the only opportunity to purchase tickets to the highly anticipated BET Awards, broadcast live from Microsoft Theater. The 1,000+ VIP Packages sold out in 2015, so guests are encouraged to purchase now before the allotment is depleted. Full package amenities and pricing for the Diamond, Platinum and Gold VIP Packages can be found by visiting BETExperience.com or by calling (877) 234-8425.

General tickets for the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola(R) are now on sale. Single day STAPLES Center show tickets are priced as low as $49.50, while 3-day STAPLES Center concert ticket packages start at $148.50. Tickets will be available at http://www.axs.com/betexperience.

Follow BET Experience on Twitter @betexperience for the latest and greatest and join the conversation by using #BETX. Feel free to also check us out online at http://www.betexperience.com.

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 reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; 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 around the globe.

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.

BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA(R)

BET Networks, an entertainment powerhouse, and AEG, the leading world's leading sports and live entertainment companies and developer/operator of L.A. LIVE, have teamed up once again to create the BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE (BETX), June 23 - 26, 2016 presented by Coca-Cola(R). This four-day festival will be filled with music and comedy concerts taking place at The Novo by Microsoft and STAPLES Center; FREE BET Fan Fest at the Los Angeles Convention Center including seminars, celebrity basketball games, celebrity meet & greets; and other special appearances. The weekend will be capped off with the "BET Awards" on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at Microsoft Theater.

ABOUT AEG

AEG is the world's leading sports and live entertainment company. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns, operates or consults with a collection of companies including over 100 of the world's preeminent facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), StubHub Center (Carson, CA), PlayStation Theater (Times Square, New York), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney, Australia), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Berlin, Germany), and The O2 arena and entertainment district (London, England). Developed by AEG, L.A. LIVE is a 4 million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, & entertainment district featuring Microsoft Theater and a 54-story, 1001-room convention "headquarters" destination. In addition to overseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, assets of AEG Sports include franchises such as the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and the Amgen Tour of California cycling stage race. Along with AEG Facilities, other global divisions include AEG Live, the world's second largest concert promotion and touring companies comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions and AEG Global Partnerships, responsible for worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships, naming rights and other strategic partnerships. In 2010, AEG launched its AEG 1EARTH environmental program featuring the industry's first sustainability report while in 2011, AEG introduced AXS a comprehensive entertainment platform serving as the company's primary consumer brand including AXS Ticketing which provides fans the opportunity to purchase tickets directly from their favorite venues via a user-friendly ticketing interface, Examiner.com and the AXS TV network, a linear cable channel focusing on live entertainment and lifestyle programming available in nearly 40 million homes. AEG's European headquarters are located in London. Global headquarters are in Los Angeles. For more information, visit: www.aegworldwide.com.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT

Jesse Collins Entertainment is a full service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, Collins has played an integral role in producing some of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment. Formerly Executive Producer/EVP of Cossette Productions, Collins has produced ground-breaking and award winning television programming including the BET Awards, the GRAMMY Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Honors, UNCF An Evening of Stars, ABFF Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards. Collins is an executive producer of the hit TV series, Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart and the upcoming original miniseries based on the iconic music group New Edition that will debut on BET in 2017. He has worked with a myriad of superstar talent including Will Smith, Chris Rock, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Prince and Mariah Carey. Follow Jesse Collins Entertainment @JesseCollinsEnt on Twitter and Instagram and go to http://www.jessecollinsent.com/ for more information on the company.