Louis Carr has been appointed president of BET. Carr succeeds president/CEO Scott Mills, who announced earlier on Wednesday (Dec. 3) that he was exiting the company after 23 years.

According to a press release announcing Carr’s appointment, the newly named president will report to George Cheeks, chair of TV media at Paramount. In his role, Cheeks’ oversight includes CBS, BET, MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. 

“Louis’ leadership has been integral to BET’s success for nearly four decades,” said Cheeks in a statement. “His vision for the future will drive innovation, deepen BET’s cultural impact and position the brand for continued growth.”

Carr’s promotion expands his prior role as president of media sales at BET, where he has worked for 39 years. During his tenure at the cable network, Carr has developed partnerships with a host of major companies, including Procter & Gamble, Walmart, Unilever, McDonald’s, Meta and Toyota.

“BET and its commitment to Black and Brown communities has been my life’s work,” commented Carr. “It’s a privilege to lead the brand to the next level of excellence and impact.”

Carr’s appointment and Mills’ departure follow Paramount Global’s $8 billion merger with Skydance Media in August. BET, which celebrated its 45^th anniversary this year, had been up for sale beginning in 2023, with Paramount said to be interested in selling a majority stake. Media stories pegged Tyler Perry, Byron Allen, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mills as among the bidders before Paramount announced ahead of the merger that BET Media Group was no longer for sale.

Mills last spoke with Billboard in early August, reflecting on the network’s 45-year legacy before moving forward under new ownership. “I would assure everyone who cares about BET that it will continue to be here for our community,” said Mills. “We’re all committed to that.”

Recently, Tencent Music Chart, under Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), partnered with Billboard China to officially unveil the China region results of the 2025 Billboard Global No. 1s, a prestigious annual global honor initiated by Billboard. Following two rounds of fan voting, rising Chinese artist Zi Yu emerged from a field of exceptional musicians to claim the honor as China’s sole representative, earning a place in Billboard‘s global hall of fame with an outstanding performance and overwhelming fan support.

The Billboard Global No. 1s China Honor Selection featured music by Chinese artists officially released between November 2024 and October 2025. Initial screening was based on annual performance across two authoritative Tencent Music Chart rankings, the TME Uni Chart, which reflects mainstream popularity, and the TME Wave Chart, which showcases professional quality. Final placements were then determined through two rounds of fan voting. Ultimately, Zi Yu’s “Ni Tan,” Shi Ge Qin Tian’s “Jun Zi Liao Ran,” THE 8’s “Cold Love,” Liu Yu’s “Si Jun Zhao Yu Mu” and Deng Jia Xin’s “Cheng De Shang Zhi De” secured the top five positions.

Zi Yu’s winning track “Ni Tan” captures a protagonist’s struggle to rise above adversity through poignant lyrics and a deeply compelling melody. As China’s sole representative for the 2025 Billboard Global No. 1s, Zi Yu joins an elite roster of Billboard artists from the U.K., Japan, South Korea and beyond in this year’s honor class, securing Billboard‘s annual special feature coverage and premium global cross-platform exposure. Additionally, Zi Yu and the track will receive comprehensive promotional support from TME Chart across its full domestic and international network, ensuring worldwide visibility.

In recent years, the partnership between Tencent Music Chart and Billboard has continued to deepen. The successful launch of the Billboard Global No. 1s China Honor Selection is built upon this increasingly robust strategic alliance. In 2023, TME Uni Chart became the sole music chart from mainland China featured on Billboard‘s global website, filling a significant gap in Billboard‘s Chinese music chart coverage. On Nov. 6 of this year, TME Chart announced a strategic partnership with Luminate, the internationally renowned music data provider behind Billboard’s charts, becoming its first in-depth data partner in mainland China. Music consumption data from TME platforms will now be integrated into globally authoritative chart systems including the Billboard Global 200 through the Uni Chart’s professional data system.

By deeply integrating its domestic data infrastructure with international music platforms, TME Chart is steadily building a bridge connecting Chinese music to the global stage, empowering exceptional artists and their works to achieve international reach. Looking ahead, as TME Group continues to strengthen its partnerships with Billboard and other global collaborators, even more Chinese artists will leave their mark on the worldwide music landscape.

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated Dec. 13, we look at the chances of Mariah Carey to claim her record-tying 19th week at No. 1 with her holiday perennial. 

Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Columbia): “Christmas” came early to the Hot 100’s top 10 last month, with Carey’s holiday staple setting a record for its earliest visit in the calendar to the chart dated Nov. 15. In the weeks since, “Christmas” has continued to bound up the Hot 100, and ranks at No. 5 on this week’s chart (dated Dec. 6), the highest of the four holiday titles now ranking in the top 10.  

The song will undoubtedly jump on next week’s chart, with Thanksgiving last Thursday (Nov. 27) marking the semi-official start of the holiday season, and the beginning of seasonal playlist ubiquity on streaming and radio. Carey’s “Christmas” has dutifully ascended to the No. 1 position on the Apple Music real-time chart and the runner-up spot on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA listing, while also beginning its spread on the airwaves, trending towards the top 25 of next week’s Radio Songs chart after reentering at No. 40 this week.  

It all adds up to a convincing case for next week being the week that Carey captures the No. 1 spot for the seventh consecutive holiday season. If it does, it will dethrone Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia,” which has reigned for its first eight weeks on the chart — tying “Anti-Hero” for the longest-leading of Swift’s 13 No. 1s on the Hot 100 — and also technically mark the song’s earliest return to the top spot on the chart dated Dec. 13 (with last year’s return coming a day later in the calendar, on the Dec. 14-dated chart).  

“Christmas” will make additional chart history if and when it recaptures pole position. Its next week atop the chart will mark its 19th total, which will tie Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” for the longest-reigning No. 1 in Hot 100 history. And with several chart weeks left before we turn the calendar on “Christmas,” it seems a strong likelihood that this will be the year the song captures week No. 20 atop the chart, giving Carey the gift of sole possession of the longest-running No. 1 in Hot 100 history. 

Brenda Lee, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (Decca/MCA Nashville/UMe): The lone other holiday song to capture the weekly crown since Mariah started her run of dominance, Brenda Lee’s fellow perennial should also be in the mix for No. 1 this holiday season. In fact, it’s ahead of Carey’s classic on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart, where it’s reigned since Thanksgiving. On the Hot 100, it rises to the top 10 this week for the first time this season, landing at No. 7. 

Without a major narrative hook to “Rockin’” this year — especially compared to the chart history Carey is staring down — it might be hard for it to get past “All I Want” on the weekly chart. But “Rockin’” does usually amp up a little closer to the holidays, and it is up 47% in radio reach through the first four days of this tracking week (Nov. 28-Dec. 1), compared to the previous week, according to Luminate.  

Wham!, “Last Christmas” (Columbia/Legacy): The George Michael-penned Christmas classic edged out Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” for the bronze medal on last year’s Christmas-week Hot 100, helped by the song’s 40th-anniversary celebration (and vinyl re-release). It should be in contention for the No. 3 spot, its peak to date, again this year — and in fact currently ranks ahead of “Rockin’” on the Hot 100, where it sits at No. 6 as the second-highest-ranking holiday title.  

It might be tough for Wham! to get in the mix for the top two once the holidays approach, however, as “Rockin’” has passed on both the Spotify and Apple Music charts (as well as on iTunes), and “Rockin’” is also growing faster on radio (with “Last Christmas” up just 19% in airplay audience so far this tracking week). But in 2026, the song should be the holiday title to watch, as the 10th anniversary of George Michael’s death — which occurred, too fittingly, on Christmas night in 2016 — is commemorated.