VH1 moves under BET Media Group as Bakish continues Paramount reorganisation

VH1 network shows include competition reality series RuPaul’s Drag Race

US cable network VH1, which previously sat within the Paramount Media Networks division, is moving under BET Media Group.

With the move, announced internally by Paramount Global president and CEO Bob Bakish, VH1 will now be overseen by BET president and CEO Scott Mills.

Bob Bakish

VH1 previously fell under the purview of Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks, and sat within the same group as MTV.

The VH1 network, behind franchises such as Black Ink Crew, Love & Hip Hop and RuPaul’s Drag Race, will now sit alongside BET, BET+, BET Studios and BET Digital.

“This strategic alignment will ensure that VH1 – a leader in multicultural programming and the second largest US cable network for Black viewership − is best positioned for future success as a key part of the powerful BET ecosystem under the leadership of Scott Mills,” said Bakish in a memo to staff.

The decision to shift VH1 comes amid a wider reshuffle within media giant Paramount Global.

Scott Mills

A month ago, it was revealed that Nevins, chairman and CEO of Paramount Premium Group and chief creative officer of Paramount+ scripted series, was exiting the company at the end of the year.

With Nevins’s departure, Paramount revealed it was expanding the remits of McCarthy, Tom Ryan (president and CEO, Paramount Streaming) and George Cheeks (president and CEO of CBS, and chief content officer, news and sports, Paramount+).

Under those changes, Showtime Networks is moving into Paramount Media Networks; Showtime’s OTT teams will move into Paramount Streaming, reporting to Ryan; and Paramount Television Studios is moving under Cheeks’ group, where it will continue to operate as a studio alongside CBS Studios. BET head Mills also now reports Cheeks.

In his memo, Bakish added that, as McCarthy and his team “continue to focus on integrating Showtime and globalising the [Paramount] Media Networks group,” they will also continue to produce several of VH1’s existing shows.