BET has signed a multiyear deal with Paramount Domestic Teelvisin to carry the off-network cable syndication runs of The Parks and Girlfriends – both airing now on UPN – and the basic cable debut of
Showtime’s Soul Food. BET President/COO Debra Lee made the announcement at the annual Television Critics Association winter media tour in Hollywood. Soul Food will be the first of the new shows to
appear on BET, with a 12-episode sample beginning Jan. 21. The Parkers will appear in September as part of BET’s new fall 2003 programming, Girlfriends will run in 2004 and Soul Food will also run
that year. “The value of this new relationship with Paramount Television will truly have a long-term impact on BET. Our viewers have long felt that BET would be the most logical home for programming
of this quality beyond its run on broadcast and premium channels. This deal with Paramount … is a definite step in that direction, and is a prime example of our plan to strike a better balance between
original production and syndicated shows on our networks,” Lee said in a statement.
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