BET’s budget will increase

It looks as though Black Entertainment Television is about to dial back the booty-and-rerun quotient.

The network’s parent company, entertainment giant Viacom Inc., will increase BET’s budget for original programming by 30% to 50% this year compared with last, and will continue to grow it at that pace in coming years, Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman said during a meeting Thursday with Washington Post reporters and editors.

The network has drawn criticism for its lack of original programming, historically filling airtime with provocative hip-hop videos interspersed with reruns of old sitcoms. But Dauman promised “at least 10 new shows this year.”