Tyler Perry has achieved a wealth of success marching to the beat of his own drum; and now, as he gears up for the next chapter of his career, he’s teaming with Viacom for an unprecedented content partnership.
According to THR, the multi-year deal covers TV, film and short-form video projects, including producing approximately 90 episodes annually of original drama and comedy series for BET and other Viacom networks. The media juggernaut will have exclusive licensing rights on Perry programming and exclusive distribution rights to his short-form video content (sitcoms et al).
On the movie front, the Viacom owned Paramount will have exclusive “first look” rights on any and all new film concepts from Perry.
The film facet of the deal is effective immediately (and will include the ‘Madea‘ franchise), while the TV side of things goes into effect in May 2019, after the expiry of Perry’s exclusive agreement with Oprah Winfrey’s OWN – home of a number of his shows including ‘The Haves & Have Nots.’
Speaking on the deal, Perry said in a statement:
“Viacom has a rich tradition of reaching my audience through their TV, film and digital platforms and I am excited to partner with them. 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.”
Congratulations!
This is a huge look and will see Perry harness the collective clout of Viacom film and TV divisions (which include BET, MTV, and Comedy Central) to broaden his reach.