Coca-Cola, Domino's, Ford, Macy's, My Black Is Beautiful, Sprint, Starbucks and Subway Announced as Official BET AWARDS '11 Sponsors

NEW YORK, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time ever, BET has partnered with Ford to kick off a sweepstakes that will award one lucky viewer the keys to a 2012 Ford Focus as part of the BET AWARDS '11 live telecast on Sunday, June 26 at 8 p.m. EDT. The Ford Focus Sweepstakes is now open and ends at 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 26, and incorporates the use of Twitter as part of the final qualification process. The winner will be announced live from the Ford Focus Social Media Lounge during the BET AWARDS '11.

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In addition to the vehicle sweepstakes, the Focus will be parked on the red carpet during the Pre-Awards Show red-carpet festivities. Ford also will sponsor the Ford Focus Social Media Lounge, the exclusive backstage area, which will feature some of the top entertainment bloggers who will have access to the celebrity talent during the entire weekend leading up to the awards show.

Subway returns to sponsor both the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards for the second consecutive year while for the first time, Coca-Cola, a partner of the BET AWARDS franchise since 2009, is turning their attention to the audience and letting fans decide which artist had the hottest single of the year by sponsoring the 2011 Viewer's Choice Award.

In addition to the above categories and integrations, the following have been announced as official sponsors of the BET AWARDS '11:

• Domino's: Domino's returns for the third consecutive year to sponsor the BET AWARDS Pre-Show Countdown Clock.
• Macy's: During the BET AWARDS Pre-Show, one lucky audience member will be selected to receive a head-to-toe makeover, one (1) $500 gift card and two (2) tickets to the BET AWARDS Show, courtesy of Macy's.
• My Black Is Beautiful: Throughout the BET AWARDS Pre-Show, Danella will showcase fashion highlights while interviewing celebrities on the Red Carpet as the My Black Is Beautiful Fashion Correspondent. Joyful Drake, star of "Let's Stay Together," shares all of her exciting moments as she experiences the BET AWARDS for the very first time.
• Sprint: The HTC EVO View 4G from Sprint will replace traditional envelopes during each of the BET AWARDS winner announcements.  Viewers will witness this tablet in action for the first time, during its product launch weekend.
• Starbucks: For the second year in a row, Starbucks® Frappuccino® will sponsor the Who Rocked The Mic Award, which is presented to the artist with the best BET AWARDS '11 performance during 106 & PARK on Monday, June 27.

As previously announced, actor and comedian Kevin Hart will host the BET AWARDS '11 with performances by Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Drake, Jill Scott and Lil Wayne.

For more than a decade, the BET AWARDS has reigned as the biggest family event rivaling all top awards shows. Having escalated each year in industry influence with A-list celebrity nominations, star-studded appearances and one-of-a-kind performances, the BET AWARDS has undoubtedly established itself as the gold standard in creating memorable moments year after year. The highly-anticipated event airs live, Sunday, June 26 at 8 p.m.* from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA and is guaranteed to be the hottest ticket on television.

For continuous BET AWARDS '11 updates and to view a complete list of Awards nominees, please visit: www.bet.com/BETAWARDS, www.twitter.com/BETAWARDS (hash tag: #BETAWARDS) and Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/TheBETAWARDS.

*All times are ET.

About BET Networks:

BET Networks, a subsidiary 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