Tyler Perry says he is not letting up on his pursuit of BET anytime soon.
In recent weeks, Perry has been the topic of discussion as one of the top prospects to purchase a majority stake in the network. Though there are other promising moguls in the running, Perry appears the most qualified, having spent years nurturing a relationship that would see the launch of BET+ and multiple television shows. Now, Perry is speaking up, letting it be known he is looking forward to owning BET.
“Rumor? No, it’s not a rumor,” Perry confirmed to Entertainment Tonight. “I’ve been there for four years now and have had tremendous success. I wasn’t expecting this to happen. So, yes, if that is possible, I’m very, very interested in taking as much of it as I can.”
The “Madea” creator says he is excited to see so many successful Black men and women putting in their bids to buy the originally Black-owned company. Viacom acquired BET in 2000 from co-founder Bob Johnson in a deal that disappointed many. Since then, the number of Black-owned media companies has seen a sharp decline.
Perry praised Viacom for keeping BET afloat, but did recognize that there would be happiness once the company is once again Black owned.
Diddy and Byron Allen are among those in the running to buy BET. As of now, there has not been any word on which direction Viacom may be moving in.
