"Maybe rap is feeling so revitalized, with the likes of the Clipse, Freddie Gibbs, JID and Chance the Rapper competing this year for top billing, that we no longer need awards and industry accolades to measure the culture's worth? Or maybe rap is no longer pop enough to pay the bills? Apparently, the show's TV ratings had been on the decline. The year after celebrating hip-hop's golden anniversary in 2023, the show's annual viewership fell off a steep cliff down nearly 50% in 2024."
"The shelving of the show just so happens to coincide with the sale of Paramount Global, BET's parent company, to Skydance Media a merger cleared by the Federal Communications Commission after Paramount agreed to pony up $16 million to settle President Trump's lawsuit against CBS' 60 Minutes. Skydance also made a few concessions in the run-up to sealing that FCC deal,"
The BET Hip Hop Awards departed cable television amid plunging TV ratings and muted public reaction. Viewership declined nearly 50% in 2024 following a 2023 golden anniversary celebration. BET's CEO described the awards and Soul Train franchises as "suspended," not canceled. The suspension coincides with Paramount Global's sale to Skydance Media, a merger approved by the FCC after a $16 million settlement related to a lawsuit. Skydance negotiated concessions including a pledge to eliminate Paramount's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, raising questions about programming direction and institutional support for Black entertainment.
Read at www.npr.org
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