BET Networks Announces Sponsors for 2016 BET AWARDS

BET Networks announced today an impressive brand lineup of its partnerships for the 2016 "BET AWARDS," which includes Coca-Cola, Nissan North America, Inc., Cricket Wireless, Motions, State Farm, and the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. Hosted by comedic power pair, Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross, the 2016 "BET AWARDS" will air LIVE on Sunday, June 26th at 8 p.m.* The night kicks off with a star-studded red carpet, sponsored by Nissan who is back for the third year. Nissan will showcase the stunning 2016 Murano crossover and the sleek 2016 GT-R supercar. Additionally, for the first year, Nissan is hosting a consumer sweepstakes, giving one lucky winner the chance to choose a brand new Nissan from a selection of models.

"We continue to watch the number of sponsors grow each year, and are thrilled to be working with such incredible and globally-recognized brands for this year's 'BET Awards,'" said Louis Carr, President, Media Sales, BET Networks. "The Awards are consistently the biggest night in entertainment for African Americans, drawing not only record viewers but also driving social media. We're excited to be working with our clients to deliver multi-platform touch points with our hyper-engaged audience."

A "BET AWARDS" partner since 2009, Coca-Cola returns this year as the presenting sponsor of the #BETInstaStar contest. For the second year, one lucky contestant will be selected by the BET audience to win a trip to Los Angeles to attend the "BET AWARDS" and present the Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award on-air alongside a celebrity presenter. The Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award is the only official award category which is determined by online and social voting by fans.

Fans will have an all-access pass to the 2016 "BET AWARDS" red carpet as Motions sponsors the "BET Awards Red Carpet Live Stream," which will digitally broadcast all of the red carpet buzz and celebrity interviews in real-time. Motions is also hosting a consumer CONTEST to win a trip to Los Angeles to attend the "BET AWARDS" weekend.

After the red carpet, the 2016 "BET AWARDS" will get underway with honoring this year's biggest and brightest stars across a number of categories. For the first time, the U.S. Air Force will sponsor the "Shine a Light" acknowledgments, which will include a salute to one Air Force Airman; State Farm returns to sponsor the Humanitarian Award; and the US Army will be the official sponsor of both the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.

Among the show-stopping moments of the night, Nissan will sponsor two unique musical performances during the show that take place on the "BET Music" mini-stage. Cricket Wireless and Nissan will both be presenting sponsors of the Backstage Live Stream (www.bet.com/LiveStream). Hosted by Chris Spencer and Billy Sorrels, the Live Stream will give viewers a glimpse of the live action happening behind the scenes. Cricket Wireless returns to sponsor the Presenter Photo Booth backstage, as well as returning as the exclusive sponsor of the live After Party Post Show. Cricket hosted a consumer sweepstakes for one lucky contestant to win an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the "BET AWARDS" and BET Experience weekend. Cricket Wireless also returns as Presenting Sponsor of the BET AWARDS Post Show - After Party Live. After Party Live will highlight all of the best moments from the BET AWARDS with commentary from artists and insiders that attended the star-studded show.

The 2016 "BET AWARDS" will be hosted by Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross, who return for a second year. It is one of the most watched shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The "BET AWARDS" franchise remains the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers and athletes in 20 categories. The highly-anticipated event airs live, Sunday, June 26th at 8 p.m. ET* on BET from the Microsoft Theatre L.A. Live.

A full list of the "BET AWARDS" 16 nominations is now available at http://www.bet.com/BETAwards.

Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment serves as Executive Producer. Stephen G. Hill, BET's President of Programming; Connie Orlando, BET's Senior Vice President of Music and Specials and Lynne Harris Taylor, BET's Vice President of Specials serve as Executive Producers for BET Networks.

The 2016 "BET AWARDS" will premiere around the world on BET's international network. The show will air in the UK on Tuesday, June 28th at 9:00 p.m. BST, in AFRICA on Tuesday, June 28th at 7:00 p.m. CAT, and in France on Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00 p.m. CEST.

The "BET AWARDS" wraps up the four-day BET Experience at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles from June 23-26, 2016.

BET.com is the official site for the "BET AWARDS" and will have all the latest news and updates about this year's show. All information about THE BET EXPERIENCE at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola can be found at BETExperience.com. VIP Packages for THE BET EXPERIENCE weekend are now on-sale. In addition to VIP amenities throughout the weekend and incredible seats for the STAPLES Center shows, three levels of BETX VIP Packages offer guests the only opportunity to purchase tickets to the highly anticipated BET Awards, broadcast live from Microsoft Theater. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit BET.com/BETX. Follow "BET AWARDS" on Twitter @BETAwards #BETAwards; and the Experience, @betexperience, #BETX.

*All times are ET

ABOUT "BET AWARDS" The "BET AWARDS" is one of the most watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The "BET AWARDS" franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (VIA, VIA.B), 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 African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

Follow us on Twitter @ BET_PR and @BETAwards

To post a comment, you must register and login.