Scott M. Mills Appointed To Chief Executive Officer Of BET
ViacomCBS today announced that Scott M. Mills has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of BET, the nation's leading provider of quality content from Black creators. The announcement was made today by President and CEO of ViacomCBS, Bob Bakish, and Chairman and CEO of Showtime Networks, David Nevins.
During his four-year tenure as BET President, Mills sparked invaluable change that structured and positioned the legacy brand for future success in a rapidly evolving media landscape. Since his appointment in 2018, Mills expanded the BET brand well beyond the framework of a traditional cable network, into the multi-platform media powerhouse that it is today with the launches of BET+, a premium subscription streaming service; BET Studios, an innovative studio venture providing equity ownership to Black content creators; BET’s wide-reaching digital platforms and footprint; and much more. Bringing A-list content creators into the fold, Mills set new precedents for BET, and, by extension, ViacomCBS, making the global media brand the largest commissioner of Black premium content through partnerships with Tyler Perry, Lena Waithe, Kenya Barris, Lee Daniels, and many others.
“Under Scott’s leadership, BET has reached new heights with continued commercial success and profound cultural impact during a period of immense industry and social change,” said Bob Bakish, President and CEO of ViacomCBS. “Scott has been instrumental in the expansion of the BET brand as the premier destination for Black entertainment and top talent, and he has spearheaded transformative initiatives that not only give back to the community but also play a critical role in representation in front of and behind the camera. BET is a source of inspiration and pride across the company, and I’m excited for BET’s strong future ahead with Scott at the helm.”
Under Mills’ executive leadership, BET will continue to build upon its 40-year legacy of entertaining Black audiences and its commitment to entertain, engage, and empower the Black community. Philanthropy has always been central to BET’s mission, however Mills’ dedicated social impact strategies have inspired company- and industry-wide change. One such example is Content for Change, a multi-pronged initiative that leverages data to effect societal change and combat bias, that was recently adopted across the entire ViacomCBS organization. Whether investing in Black communities, discovering, and fostering Black creatives and talent, or rallying Black leaders across business, media, and entertainment to raise nearly $20M in COVID-19 relief to support Black communities hit the hardest by the virus, BET remains the industry leader in Black premium content and steadfast in its duty to the Black community.
“BET is uniquely positioned to thrive at the intersection of content, community, and culture,” said Mills. “Through the power of the BET brand, our incredible team and great partners, we’ve established leading business franchises across linear, streaming, digital, and most recently, content development and distribution. It is an extraordinary privilege to steward such a culturally significant brand with an enormous legacy as a catalyst for change. As CEO, I look forward to working with my immensely talented BET colleagues and our great partners to ensure that BET continues to thrive and remains ideally positioned to succeed in the ever-changing media landscape.”
