Tyler Perry Viacom Deal Takes Perry From OWN Network

Tyler Perry is a force to be reckoned with. The dedication and ambition that he commits to his craft has given him the opportunity to grow his brand yet again. Perry recently joined forces with Viacom Inc., the parent company of BET, Comedy Central and a mix of other networks. The deal was originally announced by Deadline.

The Tyler Perry Viacom agreement, set for five years, will allow Tyler Perry to develop exclusively licensed television series and exclusively distributed video shorts for Viacom and is part of an effort to shift content for the company. Tyler Perry will create 90 episodes per year of comedy and drama series. Viacom Inc. and their other networks will be the only ones holding exclusive licensing rights to the programs.

The film deal starts now, according to Variety, while Perry’s long-term TV deal won’t begin until his absolute overall deal with OWN wraps in May 2019.

Prior to Viacom Inc. gaining exclusive rights, in 2013 Perry teamed up with Oprah Winfrey. He became an executive producer to help her then-struggling network OWN. He produced many successful TV shows exclusively for the network, including, “The Haves and Have Nots” and “Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse”.

Although Viacom Inc. will now hold exclusive rights to Perry’s TV shows, Paramount Pictures will continue to hold exclusive “first look rights on all feature film concepts including those for his popular Madea franchise.

Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Viacom Inc. says “By prioritizing efforts to work with the best, most versatile talent in the entertainment industry, we are better positioned to deliver must watch content across our brands and platforms, and I’m excited that this collaboration will bring his signature humor and powerful story telling to Viacom’s audience while further cementing BET’s position as the leading home for bold, relevant African-American programming and scripted content.”

Tyler Perry also says, “I am eager to have one home where I can leverage all of their assets to tell my stories to an even wider audience. I have been very blessed to have worked with the incredible people at Lionsgate and OWN over the last few years and I look forward to continuing my work with them on a non-exclusive basis.”

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