BET Enters Partnership with Akil Productions

NEW YORK: BET Networks has signed a multi-year agreement with Salim and Mara Brock Akil of Akil Productions, the executive producers and directors of the hit series The Game.

The husband and wife team will develop new series for BET Networks through their Akil Productions outfit. The pair will also continue to executive produce The Game, which is coming off of a record-breaking series premiere that drew 7.7 million viewers, making it the number one sitcom in ad-supported cable TV history. Mara Brock Akil created The Game and executive produced the series with Salim, who also directed.

"We’re thrilled to build on the very important relationship between our network and the Hollywood creative community, especially with two proven powerhouses in entertainment—Salim and Mara Brock Akil," said Loretha Jones, the president of original programming at BET Networks. "Through this partnership we hope to continue to bring our audience high quality content that reflects their lives and our communities."

"Our goal is to expand on our existing brand, by way of Akil Productions, to create new opportunities for ourselves and others," commented the Akils. "BET has provided us with a tremendous platform to create smart, funny and dramatic, quality programming with multi-layered and multi-dimensional characters appealing to millions of viewers."