A longtime cornerstone of the cable channel BET is parting ways with the network after more than two decades.
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Scott Mills is stepping down as president and CEO of BET after 23 years with the company. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Louis Carr, who has been with the network’s media sales division for 39 years, will replace Mills.
As THR notes, the exec’s departure comes after nearly all of Paramount Global’s top executives left following its merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
After Ellison took the reins, BET was folded into Paramount’s TV Media division alongside CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon. The division is now led by George Cheeks, the last remaining member of Paramount Global’s former three-person “Office of the CEO.” His former co-CEOs, Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy, have already found new chairs—McCarthy is following super-producer Taylor Sheridan to NBCUniversal.
Mills served as president and CEO of BET Media Group, which encompasses the network’s cable channel, the BET+ streaming service, and BET Studios. BET Studios will now operate under the CBS Studios banner and continue to be led by Aisha Summers-Burke. David Stapf is the president of CBS Studios.
The leadership future of BET+ remains uncertain.
Scott Mills Announced His Departure From BET Yesterday
Mills announced his departure to his staff on Wednesday. In a memo, he thanked the network’s co-founder, Robert L. Johnson, who brought him to the network, as well as his predecessor, former BET President and CEO Debra Lee.
“We transformed BET from a declining legacy cable business into a growing media company with leadership positions across the platforms most relevant to Black audiences,” Mills said in part.
Mills navigated a period of uncertainty for BET as the cable network, its studio, and the streaming platform BET+ were repeatedly put up for sale by Paramount’s previous leadership. Over the past few years, Mills led an investor group in two bids to acquire the unit. However, Paramount ultimately chose to retain the assets. In August, post-merger CEO David Ellison confirmed that the channel is no longer for sale.