Paramount Global/Skydance merger - Variety: BET Hit by Layoffs as Part of Paramount Global’s Latest Job Cuts

Story from Variety:

BET is making layoffs across multiple departments amid the broader wave of cutbacks at parent company Paramount Global.

The layoffs were announced by BET CEO Scott Mills in a memo to staff Wednesday, which was obtained by Variety.

“As Paramount’s co-CEOs recently shared, the company is taking further steps to streamline Paramount to ensure it is positioned for continued success, BET is not immune to the conditions necessitating these actions, so we too must reduce staff within our organization.”

The number of BET staffers getting pink-slipped was not immediately available. The job cuts are part of the 3.5% U.S. workforce reduction that Paramount Global announced June 10, which sources said affected several hundred employees.

According to Mills, BET is implementing a “streamlined organization structure” where BET will continue to operate the functions “that are core to our mission, value proposition and market leadership position.” Those include content strategy and production, programming, marketing and insights, social impact, advertising sales, streaming and digital. BET will “further leverage Paramount’s scaled support functions” in areas including linear TV research, finance, and business and legal affairs, he said.

The job cuts come as Paramount Global, parent of CBS, Paramount+, Comedy Central, MTV, Paramount Pictures and more, is still waiting for approval from the Trump administration’s FCC for its deal to merge with Skydance Media. When Trump was asked last week by a reporter what was holding up the Paramount-Skydance deal, the president launched into a discussion about his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over a “60 Minutes” segment.

BET Media Group is the world’s largest media company dedicated to the Black community and “championing Black culture” spanning cable TV, streaming and digital content, studios, live events and international, according to Paramount. Its portfolio includes BET, streaming service BET+, BET Gospel, BET HER, BET International, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Studios and VH1.