BET Networks Unveils First Ever Fandemonium Award at 2010 BET AWARDS

NEW YORK, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks announced its first ever Fandemonium Award measuring the online and mobile fan power of today's top music artists.  This award will debut at this year's BET AWARDS '10 on Sunday, June 27, 2010. Through a two-week promotion on 106 & PARK, followers of Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and Trey Songz will undertake daily challenges to compete for their artist to win the award by partnering with the popular social aggregator, AOL Lifestream.

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"Today's successful artists don't just make hits, they create movements where people can participate and connect with them in ways like never before. This award pays homage to the digitally engaged fans, and we're excited to partner with AOL to amplify our audience's voice at the BET AWARDS '10," said Denmark West, President of Digital at BET Networks. "Over the past year, BET has experienced tremendous growth across online and mobile platforms and this partnership fits perfectly with our strategy to be right at the pulse of entertainment culture and also drive it."  

"Though artists often reference their fans in receiving awards, never has there been a category that aggregates and mobilizes a fan base in such an influential way on behalf of an artist," said Stephen Hill, President of Music Programming and Specials at BET Networks. "106 & PARK is known for having the livest audience; now at the BET AWARDS '10, we have the Fandemonium Award to determine who has the livest fans."

"AOL Lifestream is the window to your social world online.  It gives people the power to share across all of their social networks with one simple update," said AOL's Head of Marketing for Consumer Applications Mike Maser.  "For music fans, it's the simplest way to cast their vote via messages and posts from Facebook, Twitter, Digg, YouTube, FourSquare and more.  It's the best way to make your voice heard at the BET AWARDS '10."

Viewers can tune into 106 & PARK weekdays at 6:00 p.m. to get the daily challenge and follow their artist's status. All challenges will take place on BET.com, BET Mobile and other social platforms including Facebook and Twitter, all of which can be viewed in one place via AOL Lifestream at lifestream.aol.com/bet. In addition, AOL will promote this award and the BET AWARDS '10 across channels like Black Voices, AOL Music, PopEater and the AOL homepage.

The artists nominated for this award were chosen because of their rabid digital fan base and rising star power on the music charts. Each artist will be listed with the following descriptions on the AOL Fandemonium page:

Justin Bieber

Bieber Fever's in full effect. His fans sell out his shows worldwide, are hypnotized by his Tweets and keep the Internet abuzz. At 16 years old, the Canadian sensation with two hit albums -- "My World" and "My World 2.0" -- sure seems to have the pop scene in the palm of his hands.

Chris Brown

He's got the looks, the moves and the voice that sets his fans' hearts aflutter. Chris Brown is one of the livest performers out there, and he's proven time and time again that the comparisons to his idol Michael Jackson are not so far-fetched. Don't let the sweet smile fool you -- the multi-platinum boy next door is a grown man with some serious skills.

Nicki Minaj

She's added some much needed girl power to hip-hop, but Nicki Minaj has her sights set on world domination. The first lady of the Young Money crew has captured the attention of the entire industry with her head-turning sex appeal and stealthy spitting style. There's nothing Nicki's loyal legion of fans won't do for their favorite Barbie.

Trey Songz

As the reigning R&B heartthrob, Trey Songz proved he was "Ready" with his latest album, where he raised the temperature and his sexy swag with each of his hit singles.  

Guaranteed to be the biggest night in television, the 2010 BET Awards will be televised live from Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, June 27, 2010 at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) at the Shrine Auditorium, and feature performances from some of the hottest musical artists, spotlight our community heroes and pay tributes to lifetime and humanitarian achievements.

For more information on the Fandemonium Award, log onto www.bet.com/fandemonium.  

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: 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 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

SOURCE BET Networks