50 Cent is looking to expand his TV empire even further and has reportedly thrown his name into the running to purchase BET.
According to TMZ, the G-Unit mogul has joined a group alongside director Kenya Barris and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal in a bid to acquire the BET Media Group.
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The report goes on to state that the trio of 50, Barris and Shaq were spotted at the Paramount offices in NYC earlier this week possibly for a meeting about buying the network.
The trio is ready and willing to make the lucrative bid with the help of a CVC investment firm. TMZ added that they’re serious bidders and “It’s not a done deal, but they’re deep in it.”
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Diddy is among the potential celebrity buyers with his hope to make BET Black-owned once again.
“Media is the most powerful industry in the world but it’s the industry where we have the least amount of ownership, influence and control!” he wrote.
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“It’s time for @BET to be Black-owned again so we have the power to tell our own stories, control our own narrative! This is not about me it’s about WE!!!!”
Run by CEO Scott Mills, BET Media Group includes BET, BET+, VH1 — which was moved under the group as part of restructuring at Paramount last year — and BET’s production arm, BET Studios.
Puff faces stiff competition, though, with fellow media moguls Tyler Perry and Byron Allen also in the race.
As for 50, the Queens icon is going to be busy this summer as he heads out on The Final Lap Tour in celebration of his Get Rich or Die Tryin’ debut album turning 20 years old earlier in 2023.
The sprawling, 64-date trek kicks off July 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah and journeys across North America until September 17, making stops in cities such as Toronto, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Brooklyn.
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The European leg begins shortly after on September 28, and includes shows in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and the U.K., where it comes to a close on November 12.
50 Cent also revealed that “special guest and longtime friend” Busta Rhymes will be joining him for the ride, along with Jeremih for the North American dates.
