BET+ cancels Atlanta-shot ‘106 & Sports’ with Cam Newton
BET+’s effort to revive “106 & Park” with a sports lens failed to generate enough buzz and was canceled after just eight episodes.
Shot in Atlanta last fall at Tyler Perry Studios, the hour-long talk show “106 & Sports” was co-hosted by former NFL quarterback and Atlanta resident Cam Newton and sports analyst Ashley Nicole Moss.
In a statement sent exclusively to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, BET said it “will not produce additional seasons of ‘106 & Sports.’ The previous season will continue to live across BET platforms.”
The show may have also been a victim of leadership change. Longtime BET president and CEO Scott Mills departed last fall after Skydance acquired BET’s parent Paramount.
“Under the new leadership of BET President Louis Carr, BET is redefining its programming strategy which will continue to support culturally resonant storytelling,” the statement said, noting that BET’s upcoming slate includes Tyler Perry’s “Sistas,” “The NAACP Image Awards,” “The BET Awards” and “The Coach Vick Experience” featuring former Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick.
“106 & Sports” was a spin-off of “106 & Park,” the popular BET version of MTV’s “Total Request Live” from the 2000s and early 2010s.
But unlike “106 & Park,” this new show was almost entirely pre-taped. As a result, most topics and interviews focused on evergreen issues such as whether HBCU sports get enough support from TV networks, sports teams moving cities and the next generation of famous athletes.
Tiffany Lea Williams, BET’s vice president of unscripted programming and development, told the AJC last fall that the show was meant to honor and extend the legacy of “106 & Park” and show how important sports is in Black culture. BET also deliberately chose Atlanta as its home base.
“Filming in Atlanta made sense for this chapter,” Williams said. “The city’s HBCU roots and vibrant Black creative community added an authenticity and energy that helped define the launch.”
But as networks grapple with cost-cutting and shrinking audiences, shows like “106 & Sports” are expensive to make in comparison to barebones video podcasts, which are growing rapidly.
The “106 & Sports” set was immense, with high ceilings, big LED screens, a massive couch and multiple bleacher areas for the audience. Behind the stage, the control room featured more than 20 people providing a din of advice and directions.
In comparison, Nick Cannon spent a few days last summer taping multiple episodes of Season 3 of his podcast “We Playin’ Spades” at Cinelease’s Three Ring Studio in Covington with a much smaller set and a fraction of the staff of “106 & Sports.”
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
