BET CEO Scott Mills Announces Departure after Transformation Focused on Streaming Growth
Scott Mills is stepping down as President and CEO of BET after 23 years with the company, as announced in a note to staff.His โdeparture comes after a period of significant change aimed at positioning BET for success beyond โtraditional cable โtelevision.
Mills highlighted the challenges facing cable networks and the strategic shift undertaken โby theโ BET team since his return โขas CEO in 2018. recognizing the “inexorable decline of cable,” the company focused on expanding โขits reach beyond its original cable business. This included the launch of BET+, a streaming service that has grown to millions ofโ subscribers and doubled content production, โฃalongside efforts toโข increase BET’s โขdigital footprint and maintain its cable share.โ Further expansion included the establishment of โคBETโข Studios and a presence in โthe FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) ecosystemโฃ through co-brandedโข channels.
Mills credited the support of the Black creative community โขas crucial to BET’s success,citing โคpartnerships โฃwith figures like Tyler Perry,Lee Daniels,Queen Latifah,Taraji P. henson, Kevin Hart, and Jesse Collins. Heโ also emphasized the company’s commitment to community service, including raising nearlyโ $20 โฃmillion to support black โขAmericans during the pandemic and collaborating with organizations like theโ NAACP and โNational Urban League.
Mills joined BET โinitially at the invitation of founder Bob Johnson,describing the โขexperience as a “master class โฃinโข bold vision and exceptional execution.”โ He also acknowledged the โขcontributions of Debra Lee,โข who ledโฃ BET’s transition into premium scripted โoriginals andโ cultural eventsโ like The Game, Being Mary Jane, and โข The New Edition Story.
the announcement follows a statement in August from Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish that BET is “not for sale,” despite previous reports of potential interest fromโ other companies. Paramount President Jeff Shellโฃ also noted at โฃthe time that BET is a โ”pretty strong brand” and “an importantโ buildingโ block of our streaming strategy.”