The Series Debut of "Being Mary Jane" Starring Gabrielle Union Attracts Over Five Million Viewers for Its Premiere Night on BET Networks

THE NETWORK'S FIRST ORIGINAL DRAMA WAS THE #1 ORIGINAL CABLE SERIES DEBUT ON ALL CABLE FOR THE 2013-14 SEASON*

The Official Hashtag #BEINGMARYJANE Trended #1 in The US and Worldwide During the Telecast Reaching 1.7 Million People

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2014 -- The first original scripted drama series for BET Networks "BEING MARY JANE" starring Gabrielle Union is now the #1 original drama series debut on ALL cable for the 2013-2014 season among Adults 18-49 & Women 18-49.* The premiere airing drew in 3.3 Million total viewers (P2+) from 10-11 p.m. EST on Tuesday night, January 7. It was followed by an encore performance from 11 p.m.-12 a.m. EST which also brought in 1.8 Million total viewers (P2+).

The initial airing of "BEING MARY JANE" left a lasting impression on social media. The official hashtag #beingmaryjane trended No. 1 in the U.S. and worldwide during the premiere telecast (source: Trendinalia) and reached a unique audience of 1.71 MM people while generating 12.48 MM impressions (source: Nielsen SocialGuide). Following the premiere, Instagram saw nearly 20,000 posts with the official hashtag #beingmaryjane. The "BEING MARY JANE" Facebook page reached over the 555,000 mark and created over 6.1 MM impressions on the January 7 series premiere day. (source: Facebook insights) In addition, on premiere day, traffic to BET.com grew 35% year over year. The day of show page views and visits to the "Being Mary Jane" show content more than doubled the traffic seen during the 2013 Movie Sneak Peek.

For an exclusive behind the scenes look at the "BEING MARY JANE" Live Twitter Premiere Party in New York's Times Square last night, check this out: www.bet.com/beingmaryjane.

For video sneak peeks and first looks of "BEING MARY JANE," visit the official pages at BET.com/shows/being-mary-jane.html. Viewers can also find series updates on Facebook by liking the fan pages at Facebook: Facebook.com/BeingMaryJane. Also, join the conversation about the shows on Twitter by using hashtags: #BeingMaryJane; follow the show for all updates & special surprises: @BeingMaryJane. For more information about these series visit BET.com.

"BEING MARY JANE" is created and executive produced by Mara Brock Akil (creator of GIRLFRIENDS and THE GAME; Writer of SPARKLE); executive produced and directed by Salim Akil (Executive Producer of SPARKLE; Director of JUMPING THE BROOM). Union is accompanied by veteran actors Richard Roundtree and Margaret Avery and a stellar cast that includes Omari Hardwick, Lisa Vidal, Richard Brooks, Raven Goodwin, B.J. Britt, Aaron D. Spears, Latarsha Rose, Robinne Lee and Stephen Bishop. New episodes of "Being Mary Jane" will air on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on BET Networks.

*Hhlds, P2+, P18-49, W18-49

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), 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 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.