Byron Allen Says Media Is Trying To Pit Him and Tyler Perry Against Each Other In Pursuit of BET Ownership

“May the best man win” is the narrative media mogul Byron Allen says the media is pushing, but he claims it’s the complete opposite.

Black Enterprise reported that Allen and fellow billionaire Tyler Perry have bid to purchase BET Media Group if Paramount Global decides to sell, prompting reports that the men are at war. During TheGrio’s Washington D.C. gala last Saturday, Allen says there is no bad blood between them. “I love Tyler,” he told Page Six. “The press is trying to put us against each other. If he gets it, it’s great. If I get it, it’s great.”

Since Madea’s creator already has the content on lock at BET, many gala attendees are betting on Perry to take over. In 2019, he signed a TV and film deal with BET and has since developed fan-favorite shows such as All the Queen’s Men, Sistas, and Oval. However, that has not stopped the Weather Channel owner from bidding for a seat at the table. “BET is a great American brand and if it becomes available, we’re very interested and we will pursue it vigorously,” Allen told an outlet last month.

BET is not the last stop in his pursuit to purchase other networks, saying his company is very acquisitive and Allen Media Group is “going to buy whatever we can that makes sense.” “We plan to buy more local TV stations, we really like that,” Allen said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re going to buy more cable networks. I will say we are truly aggressive when it comes to acquisitions. If it’s for sale — if it’s a lemonade stand — we want to buy it.”

Allen and Perry aren’t the only ones with their eyes on BET. It’s been reported that Group Black is in talks to purchase the network. The Miami-based media company is working with CVC Capital Partners, a private-equity firm based in Luxembourg with more than $100 billion under management. Bad Boy Records’ Sean “Diddy” Combs has also expressed some interest.